Wizard of the Storm
by Mortred
Summary: Upon grasping the Elder Wand, Harry is struck by a bolt of lightning and everything changes. Stuck in Middle Earth as a girl, Harry is quickly taken in by the elves. But Galadriel can sense that it is not in Harry's nature to be idle and safe, so she sends him to travel with Gandalf who is on his way to Bree to meet Thorin Oakenshield. fem!Harry
1. Chapter 1

This is my first attempt at writing fan fiction, any fiction really. Please read and review if you would like, even if critical. This is a fem!harry fic. Don't know why, just felt like it. This may be a gen fic or femslash with Harry/Tauriel. I don't know yet. It depends on how well I can write the lovey dovey stuff.

A/N: I don't own Harry Potter, The Hobbit, or The Lord of the Rings.

* * *

**Wizard of the Storm**

Harry watched as red energy met green. He blinked at the flash of light as both spells now raced toward the Dark Lord. Voldemort took the impact of both spells to the chest and fell to his knees in the courtyard. Voldemort seemed to let out a silent scream of agony as his body dissolved away into ash.

It was over. It was all over. Voldemort was dead and the Wizarding World could have peace. These were the only thoughts in Harry's head as on instinct and with the reflexes of a seeker he reached out with his left hand and grabbed the Elder Wand flying at him. Harry realized his mistake as his hand closed around the wand.

Suddenly his invisibility cloak was draped over his right hand and the Resurrection Stone was hovering right in front of him. The sky began to darken for as far as Harry could see and a vortex of black clouds began to form right above Harry. Voices brought Harry's eye back to the ground as he saw Hermione and Ron running toward him.

He held up his hand for them to stop, his mind expecting something big and dangerous to happen. And he wasn't wrong. The last thing Harry saw was an alien look of confusion on Hermione's face and the worried look of Ron before electricity poured out of the vortex over head, slamming down into Harry. The massive lightning blast raged for a few seconds before the skies clears and the lightning faded, taking Harry with it.

* * *

Something flared in the mind of the Lady of the Wood. Something new had come. She moved quickly from her chambers to the Mirror Room. Galadriel gracefully glided across the room to fetch enough water to fill the looking glass. Gazing into the Mirror proved quite confusing for the Wisest still dwelling in Arda Marred. Her eyes told her this was a woman of the race of Men, her mind told her this girl was a wizard, and her heart told her this girl was hope.

* * *

Harry awoke with a grunt of pain. His body felt as if it had been torn apart and remade. He opened his eye and thought maybe that was the case. His vision was perfect, which led to his next revalation as he propped himself up on his elbows. He was laying on grass not far from a set of mountains that seemed connected to a long chain of mountains that stretched as far as he could see in one direction, and he had breast. Panic flooded his mind as he shot to his feet, looking down at himself, or rather herself.

'_Hello little Wizard_,' a beautiful voice said in his head. Panic gave way to indignation as the first thought that came to mind was '_I'm not that little_.'

He heard a laugh like a melody in his mind before the voice said '_Perhaps not a little as you once were_.'

Harry looking around noticed he did seem to stand about 5'11" in his new female form. '_Why am I a girl_?" Harry asked the voice, '_and who are you and where am I_?'

'_To the first I cannot say. I do not know what bought you here only that I felt you the moment you arrived. Was it fate, or chance, or some higher power's hand at play?_'

Harry pondered this idea of a new world and a new body for a moment until the voice answered his other questions. '_I am Galadriel, Lady of the Elven Kingdom of Lothlorien. As for where you are, well, you seem to be in Eregion, I am fifty leagues across the mountains before you._' Harry looking around at his surrounding noticed a wand and a stone laying atop a silvery cloak and bent to pick them up thinking '_and how long is a league exactly_?' '_Three of your miles I believe. Though I would offer you sanctuary it would be long journey south around the Misty Mountains. I would advise...'_

_'You would advise what?'_ Harry thought sarcastically, finally regaining his full focus after waking up and finding it hard to trust a voice in his head, no matter how lovely a voice it was. Beautiful things can be evil too, Harry thought.

_'You must hide yourself. A hunting party of orcs and goblins are close by. They will pick up your scent soon enough. They will show you no mercy Wizard, you must show them none.'_ Harry quickly pulled the cloak over himself, moving the Elder wand to his right hand and holding the stone and the cloak closed with his left.

Afraid his feet might show out the bottom, and not really feeling like looking at his own female body anymore, he raise the Elder Wand inside the cloak to tap himself on the head and cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself. Just as Harry felt the cold magic reach his toes he heard a howl behind him. Turning, he saw about twenty dark shapes that seems to be mounted crest a hill but the morning sun was at their backs making Harry squint to look at them. As they approached his view became clearer, these were ugly creatures, big and small, in black armor riding some gross approximation of wolves.

"Ah know Ah smelled summin over here. Summin female and tasty," Harry heard one of the smaller creatures say.

"You betta hope so, or else its your meat we'll feast on," said the biggest of all the creatures. Harry was about to take a slow step back when the last rider that spoke said, "Split up, if you find anyting blow your horn."

Harry watched as the group split of in two, with the small goblin that first spoke remaining with what Harry assumed was the leader, presumably for punishment if he was wrong.

Harry held back a sigh of relief when none of the orcs or goblins began to move toward him, but he knew he couldn't safely move around them all to get away and he had nothing but mountains behind him and no desire to play hide and seek with beings that could smell him, let alone his femaleness. Channeling his inner Ron, who was admitted short sighted in everything but strategy, Harry thought killing the leader from stealth might send the group into disarry. But he would have to do it quickly before the groups moved away from the leader.

Poking the Elder Wand slightly through the cloak, Harry slashed his wand horizontally, silently casting Sectumsepra. The lead orc's head fell from his body as his neck was slash as if by an invisible sword. The effect was immediate. The wolf abomination that bore the leader, unburdened and uncontrolled, turned and attacked the wolf creature next to it bearing the small rider. The rider drew his sword and slashed at the wolf right as the others turned to see what was going on.

"That stinken goblin kill the boss. These goblins be traitors."

'This couldn't have gone better,' Harry thought to himself as he watched these digusting things turn on each other. The wolf mounts proved to be as savage as they looked, and a great equalizer for the smaller goblins, but the orcs slightly outnumbered the seven or so goblins. Black steel clash against each other and mounts tried to get at the neck of its opponent in a gnash of teeth. When the short battle was over only six orcs and their mounts still stood alive.

'_Very clever. Might I suggest lightning to finish off the rest,_' the beautiful voice said to him in his head.

'_Why not,_' Harry thought angrily as he pulled magic from within himself to try and perform a spell based solely on intent and will while watching the surviving orcs and mounts gather together. He was suprised to feel magic from the environment seep into him slowly and join the magic pooling in his wand hand. He was even more surprised when he jabbed the Elder Wand foward and electricity blazed out of the wand striking the orc closest to Harry. The orc and his mount, and the two immediately behind him started screaming and writhing in pain before being and beast fell to the ground, dead.

Harry ended the stream of energy and jabbed the Elder Wand again sending another bolt of lightning at the three remaining riders. The magic seemed to outshine to sun for a moment before Harry lifted the wand in his hand. Before him the once pristine grass was now littered with charred corpses and dark blood. With a few flick of the Elder Wand, the bodies of twisted man and beast flew to lay in a pile where the leader had fallen to Harry's cutting curse and where most of the fighting took place. Pointing the wand at the stinking pile of carcasses, Harry unleashed a torrent a blue flames.

As the Bluebell Flame Charm poured from the Elder Wand, Harry thought of Hermione and Ron and his other friends, apparently in another world from him. '_My World. Our World_,' Harry thought as tears leaked out of his eyes and down his face. Ending the charm, Harry pulled off the cloak and cancelled the Disillusionment Charm. He then tapped the wand to his chest, right between his breast, and he could feel magic swirl around him as he conjured a simple black robe.

'_I suppose I should thank you for the warning, Galadriel, but I'm not too keen on people poking around in my head. Even under normal circumstances._' These thought were met with silence for a few seconds and Harry began to panic, realizing he might have lost his only ally in the foreign world, even if he didn't like her method.

_'I usually do not enter someone's mind unless they first trust me, but sometimes exceptions must be made when needs must.'_ Harry had just begun to dry his eyes on his newly conjured robe when Galadriel replied and he could almost feel her smile kindly at him. '_Will I ever make it home?_" Harry asked, hoping for something to strive for, a goal.

_'There is no craft that I know of that can send a person beyond the Walls between Worlds. It is said at death the race of Men journey beyond those Walls, but I do not think your death is close, Wizard of the Storm.'_ Harry grimaced, _'My name is Harry Potter.'_

'_A boy's name, you are now a woman._' Galadriel said consolingly. '_You must choose a name befitting an Istari of your power.'_

'_Istari?_' Harry questioned. _'The elfish word for Wizards. There are five Wizards in these lands, which are called Middle Earth. They have names like Saruman the White and Gandalf the Grey.'_ Galadriel seemed to be sending all the solace she could through whatever this connection was. Legilimency didn't work over any distance and the connection he shared with Voldemort was never this clear and pain free.

Harry sat back on the grass thought back over all that had happen since he entered the Wizarding World. His lasting accomplishment was his final victory over Lord Voldemort. Harry didn't realize how long he sat there, his face down staring at his black robes before an idea came to him. Raising his head he saw the sun with high in the sky.

'_If I must choose a woman's name then I shall be called Victoria the Black.'_

_'So be it, Victoria the Black Wizard!'_

* * *

This chapter came in at 1900 words before A/Ns. The chapters may get longer once I get to the movie stuff. Not sure though. I have the story roughly outlined _on paper, _so to speak, through the first movie. I have a plan in mind for the whole story up to the Battle of the Five Armies. I don't know how long it will be between updates but I do have a lot of free time recently, that might change. Also I don't want to make a God!Harry or even a Super!Harry. Harry is a pretty strong wizard in canon. Yes Harry will have an affinity with lightning like Dumbledore had with fire, as you saw Harry with the lightning bolts but each spell only killed three orcs and their wargs. Dumbledore would have wiped the floor of all 20 orc, goblins, and mounts without the subterfuge.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to everyone that reviewed, followed, favorited, or just looked at the first chapter.

A/N: I do not own Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, or The Hobbit.

Chapter 2

'Stupid rocks,' Harry thought lifting his left foot and shaking it. 'Stupid flimsy scandals.' Harry bent down to look for a rock before trying again to transfigure a decent pair of boots. Thinking back on the battle this morning, Harry tried drawing magic from the earth and the air. He could feel it, barely. Like water coming out of a faucet drip by drip. He pushed what he could of the ambient magic into his own as he tapped the rock with the Elder Wand. Harry, relieved, watched the small rock turn into a small pair of combat boots. Slipping out of his scandals and vanishing them, Harry quickly put on the boots and tap them with the wand to make the laces tie themselves.

'The Wand,' Harry thought to himself. 'Not my wand."

He had check in vain after the fight for any other item that might have followed him besides the Hallows. He lamented the loss of his old broken wand and his moleskin pouch. He had done amazing things with the Elder Wand and part of him thought he might be able to repair his holly wand. The pouch was sentimental to him, a gift from Hagrid, that contained a few relics of his parents and godfather. He would need to replace it and put a Undetectable Extension Charm on the inside like Hermione had tried to teach him and Ron. Harry could probably pull it off with the wand and intrinsic magic around him.

Ever since he caught the Elder Wand his whole life had changed. Looking down at it, he just couldn't bring himself to hate it though. After he used the lightning and conjured the boots, the wand begin to feel a little less malicious, a little more like a tool, a little more like it was his. Perhaps it was just its bloody past that gave the wand its menacing aura. Dumbledore had used the wand, presumably for good, for fifty or so years.

Seeing an outcrop of rocks nearby, Harry decided to make camp there. Walking toward his new camp, Harry started casting all the wards the trio had used during their hunt for the horcruxes. As Harry conjured a small mattress on the ground under the ledge of a rock face, he started to feel a chill in the air. No where near as cold as Scotland in winter, but it made Harry think it was winter here in this world and it would only get colder as the sun passed beneath the horizon.

'There are two ways of fighting off the cold,' Harry thought. 'Make more clothes and a blanket or use a Warming Charm.' Harry did not think a fire was prudent, even with the wards. Who knew if Muggle Repelling Wards would work on the evil monsters he had met already.

'Galadriel said to show no mercy and I trust her enough." Harry thought, but did he have to kill them. He could have led them on a merry chase of invisible apparation, with Harry apparating as far as he could see, but taking them out from stealth carried less risks in his mind. The crack of his apparation would have given away his location every time and the creatures could smell her. 'I mean him, me.' Harry corrected himself. Plus, those creatures just radiated sadistic intent.

Harry took off his robe and looked down, not really used to seeing himself yet. He was bigger in the chest than both Hermione and Ginny he estimated, never having seen them without clothes. He quickly tapped his chest with the Elder Wand, conjuring a black button down collared shirt. Tapping his thigh, he conjured a pair of grey boxers and black jean pants. Kicking off his boots and throwing up a Warming Charm, he fell back on his mattress, foregoing a blanket in case something woke him suddenly. He didn't feel like dying because he was tangled up in his own blanket.

Staring up at the stars, Harry thought of this new path he was taking after his "talks" with Galadriel about six hours ago.

* * *

'_You mentioned some advice_,' Harry thought after a few minutes. '_Because I'm beginning to think I could really use it._'

'_You currently have mountains to your south and farther to your east. I would suggest to travel north.'_ Galadriel responded.

"Point me north." Harry said holding out the wand in his hand. The wand spun and then stopped pointing directly away from the mountains at his back. _'And what shall I expect to find to the north?'_

_'Imladris, or Rivendell in the Common Tongue you speak, lies fifty league to the northeast. If you travel north you will reach the Bruinen, a river. If you reach the river follow it northeast.'_

_'If I reach the river?'_ Harry said worried. '_Do you expect me to meet any more orcs or wolves?'_

_'Those were not wolves Victoria, they were wargs. Foul creatures bred in some dark pit for war against the free folk.' _Harry could feel her power flare through the connection. Galadriel must really hate these various monstrous creatures. Suffered greatly because of them. Still, even in her anger, Harry felt no darkness in the Lady of the Wood. Harry couldn't help but respect that.

'_I say if because I will send word to Lord Elrond of Rivendell to send riders to find you. If that is agreeable with you, Victoria. Rivendell is a sanctuary hidden from the vile things in the world. You could find peace and knowledge of this new world you have fallen into. Istari are held in high esteem among the elves.'_

_'Being famous for merely who I am isn't all that fun and believe me I'm speaking from experience.'_

_'The elves would find you curious at first and you would be respected but in Middle Earth fame is earned by deeds in battle against the agents of the Shadow.' _

_'The Shadow is an ancient enemy. Defeated completely almost three thousand years ago. Or so some believe, but lately I have sensed something dark moving unseen by the Wise. I fear the Dark Lord is not as vanquished as we believed.' _Harry snorted very unladylike. '_Yeah, I've been there._' Suddenly Harry started to become very uncomfortable.

_'You want me to fight against this Dark Lord if he is back, don't you. I just fought a war. Lost many good people.' _Tears seem to flow freely from his eyes, blurring his vision. '_My mind is not used to dealing with the hormones of a girl. I may not be who I once was.'_

_'Your mind will adept to the "hormones" as you call them over time. And even if you are changed, perhaps you may find happiness yet in this new form.' _The Lady went silent for a few minutes, so Harry pondered her words. He was never the tough thuggish boy like his cousin. Harry's defining attributes seem to be luck in dangerous situations, the fact he seemed to be a danger magnet, and as Hermione said his 'saving people thing.' His maleness need not define him, though he missed it dearly.

'_I will admit when I first saw you in my mirror I hoped you would become an ally. Perhaps __Ilúvatar himself sent you to us in a time of need. Why else would a sixth wizard appear in Middle Earth? But the choice, as always, is your alone Victoria. I see two paths before you. One of adventure and fellowship and a live of bring light to the shadows. Another living peacefully in Rivendell until old age take you hoping you do not live long enough to see a darkness sweep over the land as you regret your idleness. Of course there are many paths the mirror may not see. Even the Wisest cannot say with certainty what will be.'_

Harry saw two paths himself. Forsake Rivendell and find some seclude place to ward and live as a hermit. Or he could go to Rivendell, probably become attached to the people, and his conscience would force him to help. Well, living as a hermit sounded awfully boring. Might as well take his chances in this elven sanctuary. He also admitted to himself that he was curious what an elf looked like and how they acted. He was just about to voice his thoughts when Galadriel spoke first.

_'You need not make any decision now. Will you make toward Rivendell, Victioria?'_

_'Yes, I will. And if I can help, I will. Might as well consider me your ally.' _Galadriel just seem to radiate light and good will, even through this mental communication. Harry couldn't help but to trust her.

'_Your assistance may save thousands. Now to the south in the trees near the foot of the mountains you may find some berries and acorns. That will have to sustain you for two days until the riders find you. __May the Valar watch over you.'_

_'Uh, yeah, you too.' _Harry said apparating to the trees to scavenge for anything edible.

* * *

Harry awoke this next morning when the sun enough to shine on his face. Rising up and moving around to loosen up quickly reminded him of the changes he had undergone. Thinking about the long day of walking ahead, Harry grudgingly saw the need for some 'chest support.' Taking off his robe and unbuttoning his shirt, Harry pulled energy from around him into his own magic and tapped his chest, conjuring a sport bra he had seen some of the girls putting in their Quidditch locker after showering and dressing after practice. A Re-sizing Charm later, and Harry felt he had enough support without being constricted. He also conjured a green ribbon to tie his now long black hair into a ponytail.

"A little breakfast before heading out I think." Harry said to himself as he closed him shirt and put his robe back on. Reaching into one of a few inner pockets in his robes that Harry had magicked into place, he pulled out the wild red berries and nuts he found. Harry had tried to cast a Perservation Charm on the few items he found, but only time would tell if the charm stopped the berries from rotting. Trying again to pull magic from the environment, Harry found he didn't need to. The magic was flowing through him now constantly. No longer just like a drip from a faucet, now like a slow, small stream of water, flowing through his magical core and out again, but always there.

Pointing the Elder Wand at the ground, he transfigured a small rock into a goblet. Placing the berries and nuts in the goblet, Harry flicked the wand at the goblet, silently casting Geminio, duplicating not just the goblet but the food inside. Collecting the original berries and nuts and placing them back in his pocket, Harry filled the empty goblet with water using Aquamenti and began eating his meager breakfast.

After the wards were dropped, the mattress vanished, and Harry had eaten enough to last until lunch, he set out after confirming which direction was north, walking and occasionally apparating ahead a ways.

It was around noon after stopping to eat and drink again that Harry hit his first physical snag of his different body. He had to pee, really bad. He supposed he would hit this snag eventually when he needed to use a toilet other to pee, even if he still was a man. Finding a set of boulders, the thought of a toilet gave him an idea. Harry transfigured a stone in between the large rocks into a toilet and took off his robes and unbuttoned his pants after casting a Privacy Ward.

'Well that was a novel experience,' Harry thought. He didn't really want to try transfiguring toilet paper so he just cleaned himself with a jet of water and a drying charm after.

'I don't even remember if there is a certain way a girl needs to wipe anyway,' Harry said, vanishing the toilet.

* * *

Harry walked until he saw a great river in the distance. He had walked, by his guess, nine hours in total and the sun was beginning to set. He began looking around for a place to camp when he saw two figures on the horizon to the northeast. Harry began walking to the figures as they seemed to see him and started toward him. As they approached Harry saw it was a single rider with two horses. Harry stopped to wait for the rider and almost jumped out of the way when the horses came up to him at full speed before coming to an abrupt halt. Harry looked up and saw the rider slightly turn the horses and drop the hood on their cloak. In the light of the setting sun, Harry saw the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and that was saying something when Veela were considered. Harry also thought the pointed ears were kind of cute.

"Hail Wizard, I am the Lady Arwen, daughter of Lord Elrond of Rivendell. It would be my honor to act as your escort." Harry thought her voice was lyrical as she smiled kindly down at him.

"Er. Hello, I am Victoria. It is a pleasure to meet you." Harry might have blathered on like Ron in front of a pretty girl if not for the disconcerting feeling of introducing himself with a foreign name.

"Are you weary Master Wizard? Would you be alright to ride through the night? I have brought a flask of Miruvor with me if you are. It is a elven cordial for restoring stamina and curing fatigue." Arwen's smile turn mischievous as she looked around the landscape.

"Will the horses have a problem riding at night? They won't stumble?" Harry asked, he thought reasonably.

"Elven trained horses are the best trained in the land. There will be no troubles, even if you are a novice rider." Harry saw a look of pride of her face as she continued to look around.

"Expecting some orcs to come barreling down on us soon, my Lady?" Harry asked.

Arwen turned to Harry with a smile on her face. "No, I am looking for my brothers. We made a wager on who would find you first. They should have known better than to bet against me," Arwen said getting down off her horse, "I always win."

"And what did you win by finding me first? If it's not rude to ask."

Arwen face turned proud again as she said, "I have won the privilege of training you, Master Wizard, in swordplay."

Harry found himself smiling at that. "I've only ever used a sword in battle once and would have died if not for help. I don't know if that is much of a reward."

Walking forward, Arwen shoved a flask into Harry's right hand then hooked her arm through Harry's left, leading him toward the spare horse.

"Drink. It will help, I promised." Arwen paused looking at Harry. "I think you are I will be great friends, _mellon_, in elvish."

"If that's so, you must call me by my name. I suppose I'll have enough people calling me 'Wizard' all the time"

"Victoria, a name I have not heard used before by any race."

"I believe it's merely a play on the word victory. It's why I chose it."

"You chose your name?"

"I needed a new one. When I was pulled into this world from my own." Arwen stared into Harry's eyes as if trying to judge to truth of his statement. Harry decided to answer her questions before they got started.

"Two day ago I was in other world, my own world, which is full of men and women who are wizards. I had just defeated an evil wizard who called himself the Dark Lord Voldemort." Harry noticed Arwen flinch slightly at the words 'Dark Lord.'

"Immediately after that I was pulled into this world, with only this wand and my cloak and a magic stone that probably doesn't work here. Don't really know anyone to call up anyway." Harry muttered that last part, not knowing elves processed excellent hearing, though Arwen chose not to comment.

"Grandmother said your story might sound fantastical, but I had no idea."

"Grandmother?" Harry asked confused.

"The Lady Galadriel is my grandmother, as my mother Celebrían was her daughter."

"When she spoke to me in my mind, she didn't sound old enough to be a grandmother."

Arwen giggled at this. "Lady Galadriel is over seven thousand years old." Finishing her laugh at Harry's shock she said, "We elves are immortal. After a point we stop aging, but we can die, from grief or injury sustained in battle."

Harry had no reply to that so he settled on drinking this elixir in the flask she handed him. He felt better, fully awake, but he wasn't that tired to begin with. Surprising after a day of walking and apparating. Harry walked over to his horse and put one leg in the stirrup and hoisted himself onto the horse as best he could. Taking the reins, Harry found Arwen looking at him.

"Why does finding yourself in a different world require you to chose a new name?"

Harry stared at the grounds and fidgeted in the saddle for a few moments before saying, "In the other world, I was a man. When I woke up here, I had a new body, a woman's body."

Harry felt a hand on his shoulder, looking up to find Arwen smiling at him warmly. "Then I have the privilege of teaching you a few more things you will need to know."

* * *

They rode throughout the night without stopping. Harry offered Arwen the flask of Miruvor at one point but she refused saying she fine, and insisting he keep it as a gift. Arwen stopped them at dawn to let the horses graze and rest for a few hours. Arwen began teaching Harry Sindarin but only with minimal success. He could introduce himself, count to twenty, and ask how someone was, and he could only understand their reply if their reply was that they were fine.

At noon, Arwen started to replace the saddles on the horses. As she did she said, "We could be at Rivendell by nightfall. I meant to ride home without my brothers as a jest but now I think it too cruel. Now we must either track them or waiting and hope they picked up out trail."

"Are we in any danger of orcs being close by, Lady Arwen?"

"I do not think any would venture so close without notice by our scouts."

"I can do a pretty good job of drawing attention to ourselves." Harry said with a smile.

"By all means, lets see what you can do."

"Take ahold of both of the horses." Harry said, waiting a few second for Arwen to comply, before jabbing the Elder Wand straight up and unleashing a bolt of lightning into the sky. Harry put a lot of power into the spell and felt the energy around him move into core to slowly replenish what was spent, augmenting his own magical stamina. Harry counted to ten in his head before releasing the spell, hearing thunder rumble across the hills and valleys.

"Wizard of the Storm, indeed," Arwen said in awe.

* * *

The light show proved very effective in drawing the two elves to their location. Within an hour two riders approached and waved in greeting.

"I just happened to be looking this way when you cast your spell, Wizard. Quite a thing to see, lightning shooting into the air." One of the brothers said.

"Indeed brother, usually it seems to happen the other way around." The other replied.

Harry smiled at their antics saying, "Subtlety is sometimes required, and sometimes you just need to make a point. A Wizard must always access the situation." Harry stared at them trying to put on his 'I am wise beyond imaging face,' also known as his 'Dumbledore face.'

"Well you certainly know how to make a point. I am Elladan, it is a pleasure to have met you."

"And I am Elrohir, also a pleasure." They both dismount and bowed to Harry.

"I am Victoria the Black Wizard. But please, just call me Victoria."

Arwen join the conversation for the first time. "Find anything interesting in the wilds brothers? Certainly not a Wizard."

The brothers looked at each other and said at the same time, "Why do we even try?"

* * *

Near midnight, the party arrived at Imladris. Harry thought it looked beautiful in the moonlight, the buildings gleaming. Like an expensive vacation spot, locked in time and space, right out of a fantasy. Complete with its own waterfall.

"I don't think even Hogwarts Castle compares to this."

"Welcome to Rivendell, The Last Homely House East of the Sea. You are our honored guest, vouched for by the Lady Galadriel." Arwen said as they made their way past some guards who held a fist over their heart's as the group passed.

As his delight at the sight of the Rivendell wore off, Harry began to feel his fatigue. It apparently didn't go unnoticed by Arwen who quickly upon stopping in a circular courtyard and dismounting whisked Harry away into a finely crafted structure and down a series of halls. Opening a door that seemed more ornate than the others that they pasted, Arwen pulled Harry into a large bedroom with a bed, a deck, a mirror with a basin below and a chair in front, and large bath with vial of liquid on a shelf near by.

"This is one of our guest rooms. The door in the back leads to a garden that is connected to my room. We are right across from another. After you rest feel free to stop by tomorrow or anytime. To chat or well..."

"Yeah?"

"I don't know if it is rude to ask, but I would love to see some more of your magic, if it can indeed be subtle."

"Sure," Harry said falling back onto the bed. "I'll even turn your brothers' hair pink if ya want..."

Arwen watched the wizard fall asleep with a grin before exiting. '_Oh, oh yes. Great friends indeed._'

* * *

Harry awoke to a knock at the door. Waking up and not reaching for his glasses was strange. Seeing that he fell asleep in his robes, he pulled the Elder Wand out and tapped his clothes freshening them up as best he could before answering the door.

A dark haired male elf stood outside with a package under one arm and what looked at be some black leather armor in the other. "Greetings Wizard. I am Erestor, Chief Counselor to Lord Elrond. We had these fashioned for you when the Lady Galadriel sent word of your coming."

"Hello, I'm Victoria. Let me help you with that." Harry pointed the wand at the package and then the armor causing them to gently fly out of Erestor's hands and land on the bed.

Erestor stared curious at the path the objects he once carried had flown before stating, "Lord Elrond wishes to speak with you at your earliest convenience. Would you care for me to have water and warm stones brought so that you may bathe?"

"No thank you, I can manage a bath myself." Harry said twirling the Elder Wand in his left hand.

"As you wish," Erestor responded. "Afterwards please make your way down the hall, take two lefts and cross the courtyard to get to Lord Elrond's study."

"Thank you, for everything."

Erestor held a fist over his heart and turned and left out the front door.

Harry walked over to his bed and examined the armor, which consisted of just a leather chest piece that would cover his torso and a pair of leather boots that would go high up his legs. Opening the package, Harry found a black robe embroidered with silver swirls along the edges, a couple sets of black shirts and leggings, and a big black wide brimmed wizard's hat.

Harry chuckled at the hat and walked over to the desk, emptying his conjured robes of the cloak and stone, and the berries and nuts, which still looked fresh, onto the desk.

'Might as well get this over with.' Harry thought as he started shedding his clothes moving toward the bath, conjuring enough water to fill the bath with Aquamenti and then warming it.

* * *

Getting out of the bath, Harry dried himself then conjuring a new bra and boxer-briefs this time as he grabbed a set of clothes from his bed and moved to sit in front of the mirror.

Harry saw himself, or herself, looking shocked in the reflection. He was kinda beautiful, he grudgingly admitted to himself. Small round face, smooth skin, tall, with lean muscles like Ginny. But a little bigger than Ginny, just about everywhere. At least he still had his mother's green eyes.

Harry pulled the skin tight leggings on with some difficult before putting on the shirt. He thought he may stick with the combat boots, even if they didn't fit the theme, but once he tried on the leather boots he wondered if they were cushioned with magic and lined with silk. Putting on the leather chest piece, Harry found it fit him perfectly. He looked down at he wizard's robe and hat, Harry thought 'why not' before putting them both on and looking into the mirror again. Well made clothes and a pretty face.

"Strange."

* * *

"Greeting, Victoria the Black. Welcome to Imladris."

"Thank you, Lord Elrond. For allowing me to be your guest and for these fine clothes." Elrond's study was more a mini-library with a alcove with a desk and more shelf with maps, scrolls, and tomes.

"Do not thank me yet, for these are the least of the things I will give you." Elrond rose from his chair behind the desk to move in front of Harry.

"While you are here, you may learn the lore concerning the Rings of Power. A long time ago, Círdan the Shipwright, bearer of one of the Three Elven Rings, Narya, saw the wisdom in passing the ring onto a wizard sent to Middle Earth to assist it's free peoples. Galadriel has, um, shown me the wisdom to do likewise."

Elrond handed Harry a simple square wooden box which opened on a hinge. Inside Harry found a gold ring, finely crafted, with a sapphire set in the band.

"This is Vilya, the Ring of Air, and it is now yours to bear, Victoria."


	3. Chapter 3

"_Italics_" - Elvish, Sindarin

'Normal' -thoughts to one's self

'_Italics_' - thought speak (thought speak only applies with Galadriel)

Chapter 3

Victoria set in front of her mirror in her room. Arwen was behind her, brushing her long jet black hair. The night dresses they both wore still grated on her mind as girly, but overall she had grown used to this new form. That was in no small part due to the sapphire ring that rest on her left hand. Its intrinsic light seem to shine gently in her mind, providing solace from past hurts and clarity of her thoughts. Victoria was grateful for the ring and calm it brought her, but she couldn't understand why Elrond would give up Rivendell's best protection. Galadriel must be held in high esteem for him to follow such a request. Here in Imladris, Vilya was safe. That would not be the case when she eventually left.

She had been here two months, training with a sword, learning another language, and going over every spell she could remember. Besides the lightning, which she attributed to the magic of Middle Earth and perhaps her body change, and a new decent skill at conjuring, which she attributed to the Elder Wand, she would have to rely on the spells she learnt at Hogwarts, horcrux hunting, and watching older wizards.

"_Your hair is beautiful, Victoria. You should let me braid it in one of the elven styles._" Arwen leaned down to smile at her friend in the mirror. "_What troubles your thoughts, my friend?_"

"_This ring. It is a great help to me, but I fear it lost in battle to the darkness should I die." _Harry looked down at Vilya, remembering the day Elrond gave it to him.

* * *

"This is Vilya, the Ring of Air, and it is now yours to bear, Victoria."

"Err, have you actually worn this, because the last guy I knew who put on a magic ring lost his hand and later his life." Harry felt no dark magic in the ring, but that didn't mean it didn't have any.

"I have worn it since the day it was given to me by the Elven-King Gil-Galad." Elrond made a gesture with his hand for Harry to put the ring on.

"If you say so, my Lord." Harry wondered if he would ever get used to speaking as if with dignitaries as he slipped the ring on his left hand. 'Oh, wow,' Harry thought, 'I feel like a taken a weak calming potion.'

"What does it do?" Harry asked with awe in his voice. "It was made with the purpose to heal and preserve, both the wearer and the growing things around them. But you may find your ability to control the skies increase, Wizard of the Storm. It is not called the Ring of Air without cause. Long have a worn and used the ring to hide and protect Rivendell from the eyes of orcs and spies."

"Will this make Rivendell vulnerable when I leave? I don't want anyone else to have to sacrifice anything for me." Too many had died so that he could defeat Voldemort.

"I am not so weak that all my abilities lie with a ring," Elrond said, raising an eye brow at Harry. "And do not worry, my patrols will find any orc party before they can hope to find the hidden valley of Imladris."

"I feel less depressed about, er, my situation with the ring on. " Harry spoke as he twirled the Elder Wand in lazy circles.

"You are different than the other wizards. The first to be young, the first to be a woman, and the first to use a wand instead of a staff." Elrond gazed at the wand curiously. "Galadriel said you wield your magic as easily as we breathe. Would you mind showing me some of your magic?"

Harry, thinking of the Weasley twins' exit from Hogwarts under Umbridge, drew a circle in the air saying, "Expecto Patronum." White light burst forth from the Elder Wand, but did not form into the shape of Prongs. Something bird-shaped formed before flying around the room, letting out spherical waves of white light, before landing on the back of Elrond's desk chair. Both Harry and Elrond gazed at the large ethereal white bird that now stared back at them. Harry thought the bird looked like an eagle, but he wasn't sure.

"That was a beautiful display of magic. Thank you, Victoria," Elrond said after the patronus faded away.

"Er, yeah, no problem. Thanks for the ring. If you don't mind I would like to return to my room" Harry felt tears in his eyes. It didn't surprise him that his patronus changed, but he felt like he just lost another connection to his parents and home.

"Please, take as long as you need to rest and recover. Not all ills are physical, but they too heal with time."

* * *

"_You will not die, Victoria. You processed great power before you received the ring, before you acquired the wand, and before you arrived here in Middle Earth."_

Victoria held the Elder Wand up in front of her face. Somehow after holding the wand in her left hand while holding a sword in her right training with Arwen and practicing all the spells she could remember left handed, the wand began to feel like it was her wand. Maybe the proximity to Vilya was having an effect.

"_Your skills with the sword have also improved. In battle with a sword in one hand and your wand in the other, you will be a force that cannot be ignored."_

_"Better than when we first started. I can hold my own against you a third of the time now. It still feels strange to be holding my wand in a fight, even for practice, and not using magic." _Victoria felt like her magic was a part of her, like a battery in her soul ready to be used.

"_I would rather not have to dodge lightning bolts just to teach you swordplay, my friend."_

_"I would never harm you, Arwen. You have been a true friend to me since we met." _Victoria felt Arwen hug her from behind. "_Being your friend in not a hard thing. Even if you wizards are unpredictable."_

_"I feel like something soon with pull me away from Imladris. Something of importance. Or maybe I'm just feeling idle when I could be helping out on patrols of the land with your brothers. Do you leaving Imladris often, Arwen?"_

_"No, after mother sailed west, father has always kept me close," Arwen said, letting out a sigh. "Rest now, Victoria. Tomorrow is another day of training."_

* * *

Victoria awoke hearing someone call her name, twice. Setting up in bed, she looked around and saw no one.

'_Victoria,' _came the sweet voice of Galadriel in her mind. '_I am glad you are now awake. Gandalf the Grey rides north up the Old South Road, making for the town of Bree. My mirror has shown me also that Thorin Oakenshield will arrive at Bree at the same time. It is a curious meeting, indeed. I would like to suggest that you join with Gandalf on his chosen quest, whatsoever it happens to be.'_

_'Do you really think he will trust me if I just ride up to him asking to tag along?' _

_'I will explain to him a sixth wizard has come and that I would like for you to travel with him to explore this new world you find yourself in. My trust in you and his own curiosity will lead him to accept. But you must ride east ere the sun sets today if are to meet him.'_

Victoria jumped out of bed to gather her things and dress in her wizardly clothes and armor. She felt excitement like she wouldn't have expected run through her at the prospect of an adventure. _'I need to speak to Elrond quickly if I'm leaving today.'_

_'Make all haste. Lord Elrond will provide you with all need while traveling. May the Valar watch over you.'_

* * *

By noon, the elves had secured provisions and three more sets of black clothes, stuffed away in a leather backpack. Victoria stood next to a beautiful black horse that was to be her's for her travels, with only Elrond and Arwen near by.

Elrond moved foward with a poach that jingled like it was filled with coins. "You may need this in Bree to find yourself room and board or to buy more provisions."

Victoria walked over to Arwen, hugging her only friend in this world. She pulled back curious when Arwen only returned the embrace with one hand. Arwen smiled before bringing her left hand from behind her back. In it she held a long slender sword.

"_I do not think my sword will see not much use here with me, father will keep me even closer now that Vilya rides with you. The thought of my sword protecting you gives me comfort." _Victoria took the sword from Arwen, hand running over the dark wood of the handle, decorated with gold inlays. She grabbed the sheath with her other hand, drawing the blade out a few inches to see grey steel with more gold patterns spiraling up the blade. Victoria whispered,_ "Thank you," _before stepping back.

"Thank you both. I can not hope to repay your kindness."

"Do not worry over much, Go now with the good will of the elves of Imladris. Safe journey, Victoria. Follow the road west, over the Ford of Bruinen. It will take you to Bree." Elrond bowed and stepped back as Victoria mounted her horse, and with a last look at Rivendell, she started out the path to the southwest.

* * *

By nightfall she reached the Ford of Bruinen. Galadriel said haste was need so Victoria chose to ride through the night. She noticed the area she was entering was called Trollshaws on the map she duplicated from Elrond's study, 'Not a very encouraging name.' Pulling out a flask and her wand, she took a sip of Miruvor and casting a Notice-Me-Not charm on herself and the horse, she brought her horse to a gallop, trying to get out of these dark trees and hills as fast as she could.

Stopping occasionally to water the horse, dropping a few drops Miruvor into the transfigured bowl, hoping it would help the horse as much as it did her, Victoria reached the Last Bridge by sunset the next day. Making camp under a lone tree off the road, Victoria pulled out an apple from her backpack, duplicated it a dozen times and returned it to the pack. Feeding five of the apples to her horse while casting a Cleaning Charm on both of them, she set another five on the ground if the horse wanted them later, keeping two apples for herself. Victoria set up the protection wards and conjured a mattress on the ground, laying down and munching on her apples before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Three day she traveled west on the Great East Road. Although she thought Weathertop looked cool, the land was nothing but brown hills,a few small trees and a deserted inn.

As she approached Bree's South East Gate, Victoria saw a figure in grey on a brown horse moving up the Greenway. 'If that's Gandalf, I'd rather talk in private before we both enter the town,' she thought now galloping to meet the grey wizard before he reached the gate.

Getting closer, Victoria had no doubt this was Gandalf. He looked like Merlin in grey tattered robes and a larger hat in the same style as her's.

"Hello, Gandalf," she called, bringing her horse to a stop. "I've traveled from Rivendell to meet you. Do you mind if we talk a minute before entering the town?" she said breathless after a day's ride.

"Hello, my dear. Victoria the Black, if I'm not mistaken. The Lady Galadriel said you would find me and that I should bring you along in whatever trouble I'm getting up to. How did she come to know my purpose here, I wonder?" Gandalf said kindly, dismounting his horse. Victoria followed his actions, and moved to stand before him. She could sense magic flowing through Gandalf like he was a focal point of convergence of the ambient energy of Arda. Victoria made a mental note not to piss him off.

"Galadriel saw you and a man named Thorin arriving at Bree at the same time in her mirror and thought it curious."

The old wizard nodded, "Ah, I should have guessed. Please, tell me of yourself and how you came to be in Middle Earth." But Victoria was only half listening, seeing a ruby ring on the wizard's hand.

"You're the one Círdan gave Narya to," she said before she could stop herself. Gandalf stared at her before looking down at her hands. "Yes, it appears you have much to tell me before we go to meet with Thorin Oakenshield, who is a dwarf of Erebor, not of the race of Men.

* * *

It started to rain as Victoria and Gandalf made their way to Bree. The pair of wizards walked down a dark street towards an inn, called the Prancing Pony if she remebered correctly from Gandalf. Victoria told Gandalf the short version of her life before and since arriving. She left out the switch in gender, only Galadriel and Arwen knowing that secret. She didn't mind being a girl now, but also didn't want to be asked any awkward questions. Gandalf had said nothing of his potential adventure, saying she would find out all in their meeting with Thorin.

They entered the inn with Victoria openning the door, indicating Gandalf should enter first. When he did, Victoria stepped inside and tapped Gandalf on the back with her wand casting a Drying Charm. Doing the same to herself, she was about to stow the wand in her robes when she took in the atmosphere of the pub on the lower level of the inn.

Most people, and little people Victoria noted, seems merry enough and very drunk. But a few sat in dark corners, their gaze all pointing toward a man shorter than most, but also looking more hardy and stronger than most. She guesses this must be the dwarf, Thorin Oakenshield, they were to meet. His face was aristocratic and handsome, like Sirius before Azkaban, but with none of the humor or mischief.

The probable assassins seemed ready to make their move, when Gandalf strolled forward with Victoria in toe and sat at the table with the dwarf.

"Mind if we join you?" Gandalf said smiling down at Thorin.

Gandalf put a hand on the shoulder of a passing waitress. "We'll have the same," gesturing to Thorin's food and drink.

"We should introduce ourselves. My name is Gandalf. Gandalf the Grey." Gandalf turned toward Victoria, but before he could say anything Thorin replied, "I know who you are, but not your companion."

"My name is Victoria. Victoria the Black. I am a wizard both like and unlike Gandalf." She smiled what she hoped was a kind smile and waved slightly at the dwarf.

"You speak in riddles the same as a wizard," Thorin said with a small, unkind grimace on his face.

"What's the point of being a wizard if you can't be mysterious?" She replied, giving him a real smile.

Trying to bring things back on track Gandalf said, "We'll now, this is a fine chance. What brings Thorin Oakenshield to Bree?" Gandalf spoke as if this was just a coincidence, two important figures meeting by coincidence.

Thorin sighed looking down at the table before rising to meet Gandalf's eye, "I received word the my father had been seen wandering the Wilds near Dunland. I found nothing."

"Ah, Thrain," Gandalf said sadly. Thorin looked at Gandalf blankly before saying, "You think him dead. Like everyone else." Gandalf tone turned soft, yet darker. "I was not at the Battle of Moria."

"What happened at the Battle of Moria?" Victoria asked, wondering where that food was.

"The dwarfs tried to take back their ancestral home of Moria. Orcs had colonized it first. The dwarves won a hollow victory before the Gates of Moria," Gandalf said solemnly.

"Thror was slain. My father led a charge towards the Dimrill Gate. He never returned. But he was not amongst the dead at the battle's end."

"Thorin, its been a long time since anything but rumor was heard of your father."

"He still lives. I am sure of it," Thorin stated with conviction.

"Thorin, if your father still lives, I'm sure myself and Gandalf can help." She thought this might buy some good will with the dwarf, but Gandalf shot her a small look, clearly indicating he thought Thrain was dead and any search was futile.

Turning back to Thorin, Gandalf said cautiously, "The ring your grandfather wore, one the the seven given to the Dwarf-lords many years ago, what became of it?"

"I saw my grandfather hand it to my father before the battle."

"So Thrain was wearing it when he..." Gandalf paused here consider his word. "When he went missing"

At Thorin's nod, Gandalf didn't seem to like the answer. "That's that, then."

"Here you are," said the waitress coming up with two plate and two mugs and setting them on the table.

"Finally, I feel like I could eat a whole dragon." Victoria failed to notice the odd glances she received as she dug into the food.

"I know my father came to see you before the Battle of Moria. What did you say to him?" Thorin said after a few seconds of staring at the Black Wizard.

"I urge him to march upon Erebor, to rally the seven armies of the Dwarves, to destroy the dragon and take back the Lonely Mountain. And I would say the same to you. Take back your homeland."

"Wait, you have dragons in this world too? And you want to kill one? With only two wizards?" Victoria said in surprise.

"This is no chance meeting, is it, Gandalf?" Thorin said looking between the two that sat across from him.

"No. It is not. The Lonely Mountain troubles me. That dragon has sat there long enough. Sooner or later darker minds will turn towards Erebor," Gandalf said softly. "I ran into some unsavory character whilst traveling on the Greenway. They mistook me for a vagabond."

"I bet they regretted that," Victoria said laughing, starting to feel the ale she was drinking.

Gandalf pulled a rolled up parchment from his robes and opened it, sliding it toward Thorin saying, "One of them was carrying a message. It is Black Speech. a promise of payment, for your head. Someone wants you dead."

"Thorin, you can wait no long, you are the heir to the Throne of Durin. Unite the armies of the Dwarves. Together you have the might and power to retake Erebor. Summon a meeting. Demand they stand by their oath."

"They swore that oath to the one who wields the Arkenstone. That jewel now rest with Smaug, if you have forgotten."

Victoria looked up from her food to see the assassins deciding Thorin and his new companions weren't worth their lives and left.

"What if we were to help you reclaim it?" Gandalf said with a small smile.

"How? The Arkenstone lies half a world away at the feet of a fire-breathing dragon."

"Yes, it does. Which is why we're going to need a burglar," Gandalf's smile growing wider.

* * *

"This is a crazy plan, Gandalf. You want to send one person into Erebor against a dragon. Atleast let me go in."

"The dragon will be sleeping my dear, all the burglar will need to do is retrieve the King's Jewel. And I fear you or I may be drawn away from the company, perhaps when we are needed most." Well, that was textbook vague.

"What could be more important than reclaiming Erebor and killing a dragon that may be used against us later?"

"Even the very Wise cannot see all ends. And a darkness beyond Smaug is moving again, I fear."

"You're starting to sound like Galadriel," Victoria said, shaking her head with a smile on her face.

"High praise, indeed. Now, I have a burglar in mind. The little fellow lives in Bag End, in the town of Hobbiton. Is Hobbiton marked on your map, Victoria?"

Victoria withdrew her wand and the shrunken map, enlarging it. Gandalf looked on impressed at the display. "Yes, seems like a two day ride on the road west out of Bree."

"Yes, exactly that. I will set a mark for the dwarves to find Bag End. It will be a blue rune at the bottom of the round door. Thorin will likely arrive with the dwarves that will travel with us at the end of April." Gandalf paused as they moved toward the stable where their horses were being tended. "Might I suggest you stay here in Bree until the end of April, say April 24th. You could use that time to practice infusing the ambient magic into your spells, and you could think about which spells may prove useful on the road ahead. You certainly use your magic in the most amazing ways, like shrinking that map for storage. Your spells may make our journey a little easier."

"That's not the worst plan I've ever heard. But what is today's date anyway?" Time seems to past in strangle ways in Rivendell and she never thought to ask the date.

"Today is March 15, 2941 of the Third Age, by the Shire Calendar" Gandalf said, continuing on."The north Chetwood Forest to the east of Bree would serve you well as a quiet spot to practice."

"And March has 31 days in it in this world, right?"

"Yes, it does," said Gandalf as they arrived at the stable.

"I should go ahead and pay the stable and the inn for my stay here." Victoria reached in her pack for the sack of coins Elrond had given her, putting it into one of her robe's pockets.

Gandalf, upon arriving at his horse, turned and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I have many things to attend to before we meet at Bag End. It has been most interesting and a pleasure to meet you. I think I shall be glad before the end of this that Galadriel sent you to me at this particular time." Gandalf withdrew his hand and moved to mount his brown horse.

"I'm glad to be here, even if this will end badly."

"Why do you say that?" asked Gandalf from the top of his horse.

"The motto of my old school was Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus."

"What does that mean?"

"Never tickle a sleeping dragon."

* * *

A/N: I gave Vilya to Victoria because I want her to be in most ways Gandalf's equal and partner until she meets Tauriel. And I do think it was wise of Cirdan to give Narya to Gandalf. He certainly puts it to good use. One reviewer stated a displeasure at Victoria being paired with a dwarf, like I said in the this first chapter, if this isn't gen it's going to be femslash with Victoria/Tauriel. Victoria may be a girl and maybe not fine with it, but she is getting used to it. But most of how she thinks is still Harry, just with a clearer mind with Vilya and the horcrux gone. Most travel times I give are based off the big Middle Earth map I'm using and google telling me horses can travel 40 miles in a day. I consider elven trained horses to be better, so I always kinda round up if it comes between 2 or 3 days. Thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites.


	4. Chapter 4

"_Italics_" - Elvish, Sindarin

'Normal' -thoughts to one's self

'_Italics_' - thought speak (thought speak only applies with Galadriel)

Always assume Victoria is using her wand in the left hand since she wields a sword right handed.

Chapter 4

Victoria slept until noon in her cozy room at the Prancing Pony. Dressing and dispelling the locking charm on her door, she made her way down one level to the pub in search of lunch, or breakfast for her. Some beef stew and bread later, Victoria made her way to the stables and brushed down her horse. Magicking the saddle into place, she climbed up onto the horse and made her way out the back of the stable, traveling northeast next to a lake. She was amazed at the horse's ability to handle the muddy terrain. An hour later she came upon the forest Gandalf must have been referring to. Walking her horse a little ways into the woods, she dismounted and moved in search of a small clearing. She found a small section that was nothing but small, young trees. Victoria felt a little sad as she ripped the trees up with Leviosa and stacked them in the middle of the new clearing.

Victoria reached into her magical core, pulling both native and the ambient magic currently flowing through, and cast Hermione's Blue Flame Charm on the trees. As she watch the trees burn for a few seconds, she thought the ambient magic didn't necessarily make her magic stronger, just replaced some of the magic she had to use for the spell. That would keep her up and casting spells longer.

Magical blue flames burns slow and waterproof, so even if it wouldn't put out the flames, Victoria wanted to try Dumbledore's Water Globe spell over the flames. She thought burning flames inside swirling water would look cool. She conjured a barrel and filled it with water, backing up to see both the barrel of water and the flames. Concentrating, she pointed her wand at the barrel, causing the water to rise as she directed to toward the fire. She began swirling the tip of her wand around in horizontal circles, but was disappointed when the liquid clumped together in many different medium sized beads of water and began orbiting the fire. 'Beautiful,' Victoria thought, 'but not useful in battle."

Ending the spell and vanishing the barrel, the water dropped onto the fire with no effect. She needed to put out the fire and get on with different spells. Barely giving it much thought, Victoria pointed her wand at the fire thinking, 'Ventus.' She wasn't ready for Vilya to pulse with magic for a second and the Wind Charm to burst out of the tip of her wand with hurricane force winds. The fire was immediately smothered, and everything on the ground was blown deeper into the forest at speed. Victoria watched a small burnt piece of wood embed itself into the trunk of a bigger tree behind.

"You're not called the Ring of Air for nothing," she said to herself.

Turning around looking for some rocks, she transfigured one into a stone statue of roughly a person. Moving back as far as she could, Victoria jabbed the Elder Wand at the statue releasing a bolt of lightning. She felt Vilya pulse again and was forced to duck to the ground as the lightning impacted the stone, sending shattered rocks flying her way as the front of the statue exploded. 'Apparently the lightning carries concussive force as well as electricity now,' Victoria thought, picking herself up off the ground.

"Ok, the ring seems to make two spells stronger," she admitted to no one, "Now some control would be excellent."

* * *

Two weeks later found Victoria apparating to her clearing in the woods earlier than normal. Laying awake last night, she had an idea about protection from arrows. No single orc should be able to get close enough to kill her, in theory. But orcs had ranged weapons too, she recalled as she pasted a merchant in Bree selling bows and arrows. Victoria needed to know if a Shield Charm could block an arrow, and the only way to test it was to have an arrow fired at her. A small challenge, but she had a plan. Transfiguring a rock into a human shaped statue again, she paid particular attention to how the arms and especially the hands and fingers turned out. She conjured a bow with a quiver of blunt arrows on the ground at the statue's feet and moved to the other side of the clearing.

Trying to focus and use another spell she watched Dumbledore pull off, she flicked the Elder Wand at the statute shouting, "Animus." She was happy to see the statue come to life, picking up the bow and a single blunt arrow from the quiver. The statue brought the bow up and nocked an arrow and launched it at Victoria, as was her intent.

'Protego,' Victoria thought, a shimmering blue circular shield appearing in front of her. She watched with seeker's eyes as the arrow cut through the air toward her. She was readying to hopefully dodge the arrow when it struck her shield, falling harmlessly straight down. Victoria had little time to celebrate as the statue reached for another arrow.

'This is actually fun,' she thought to herself as she blocked arrow after arrow. 'Lets try something else.'

The next arrow that came at her, Victoria refrained from casting a shield, following it with her eyes, she swept her wand in the direction of the arrow saying, "Depulso." The Banishing Charm made the arrow spin around in the air and fly right at the statue, shattering on its forehead, Victoria's intended target.

Seeing the statue out of arrows and feeling accomplished, she cast another Shield Charm in front of herself and let loose a bolt of lightning at the statue, trying to keep it to just electricity. Victoria was proud to not feel the pulse of the ring and didn't have to hope her shield would hold against stone shapnel.

Her control of these new powers were increasing.

* * *

By April 23, Victoria had grown restless. She had spent the last day practicing Feather-light Charms,Reducio Charms, and trying to master the Undetectable Extension Charm to help pack more provisions for the journey. Just a little more work, as she thought about Hermione lecturing both herself and Ron about the extension charm, and she expected to have it usable. Victoria decided to leave early and take her time going through the Shire. The hobbits she had seen so far interested her, they looked like children that stopped growing but took on the features of an adult.

Nodding at the barkeep and laying a few more coins on the bar, she exited the Prancing Pony and made for the stables. Entering the stables, she approached a man sitting down to ask about what she owed, and when that was payed off, she walked to her black horse and magicked the saddle and bridle into place. Victoria mounted her horse and left the stable through the front, back into Bree. The streets were even more crowded than they were at night, with merchants selling their wares at side stalls and people moving to and fro for business.

Victoria slowly made her way to the East Gate and cast a Feather-light charm on herself, hoping to lessen her burden on the horse. She also cast a Sticking Charm on the saddle so she wouldn't fly off the horse. Bringing her horse to a gallop, she hoped to make it to Brandywine Bridge by nightfall. The close by Barrow-downs were giving off a sinister feeling. Arriving at the bridge as the sun was setting, Victoria turned her horse north, cantering a ways before setting up camp near the river.

* * *

Waking up the next day, Victoria fed and watered her horse and started west again. She reached Whitfurrows, the first small town west of the Brandywine River, at noon and stopped at a pub for lunch. She introduced herself as a wizard, thinking her attire gave her away and any lie would be quickly found out. The barkeep and the patrons that overheard merely gave her curious looks, not unkind. It probably helped she said she was a friend of Gandalf the Grey.

After her meal, she continued on about ten miles to Frogmorton. Passing through, she could smell the marshland to the north. By nightfall, Victoria reach a fork in the road, of which the northwest fork would take her to Hobbiton. She made another camp off the road and didn't even bother with the protection wards. The Shire, with its beautiful green hills and cozy homes built into some of those hills, just felt safe.

She awoke well past midday, having overslept. She quickly got ready, starting up the Bywater Road toward Hobbiton. Hobbiton was a bigger hobbit town than she had seen so far. It also had nicer building for the most part, she noticed a nice pub called the Green Dragon. Asking a nearby hobbit tending her garden for directions to Bag End, she turned her horse north to cross a small bridge and make her way to Bagshot Row. The sun was close to going down when she spotted a blue rune in the shape of a slanted letter F at the bottom of a green round door on the biggest hobbit hole in the Row. Dismounting and letting herself and her horse in through the small gate, she approached the door and knocked.

A hobbit answered the door in a patchwork night robe. "Ye-Yes? Can I help you?" he said, obviously nervous, tying his robed closed with its belt.

"Did Gandalf the Grey pass by here recently?"

"Ye-Yes he did, but.." Victoria walked passed the hobbit, bending down to fit inside.

"Good, he said for me to meet him here along with some others," Victoria stated, taking off her hat and putting it on a nearby coat rack.

"Now see here, I never agreed to.."

Victoria leaned down giving the puppy dog eyes she learned from Arwen when dealing with Elrond. "You don't mind if I wait here for the others do you?"

"Well, no I suppose not, but I was just about to start cooking dinner."

"Oh, good. I'll join you," she said moving toward what looked like a mini-kitchen.

"But I only bought one fish from the market today, I wasn't expecting visitors."

"Then how would you like to see some magic?"

* * *

Bilbo watched in amazement at food flying slowly from his panty to be duplicated many times before flying back into its appropriate spot in the panty, fifty duplicated fish flying into an enlarged pan, cooking themselves, and then flying onto an enlarged platter. Kept warm by a "Warming Charm" the wizard said. Potato wedges baking in the oven of their own accord.

The doorbell suddenly rang and Bilbo pulled himself from his awe to answer the door. Outside stood a dwarf with almost a completely balded head and a brown beard.

"Dwalin, at your service," the dwarf said with a hard look on his face, but with a bow.

"Uh. Hm. Bilbo Baggins, at yours." The dwarf stepped past Bilbo, entering the front hall. " Do we know each other?"

"No," Dwalin said making his further inside to take off his cloak.

"Which way laddy? Is it down here?"

"Is what down where?" Bilbo asked.

"Supper," the dwarf said, throwing his cloak into Bilbo's arms. "He said there'd be food, and lots of it."

"There is lots of food, but who said? Gandalf?"

Dwalin didn't answer, moving down the hall toward the dining room.

"Is this one of the people you are suppose to meet, Victoria?" Bilbo shouted down the hall to the wizard who had left the kitchen to see who arrived.

* * *

Victoria looked at the dwarf who stopped to do the same to her. "I am Victoria the Black Wizard. Are you in the company of Thorin Oakenshield?"

"Yes. I am Dwalin, at your service." Here the dwarf bowed again. Victoria returned the bow and said, "Here have a seat and I'll bring you some food."

Dwalin sat down at the small table in the dining room and had just bit the head off the first of four fish Victoria had served him.

"Here try some of the biscuits," Victoria said, almost done with her food, setting next to Bilbo on the other side of the table.

Dwalin was three fish down, and Victoria and Bilbo were done when the doorbell rang again.

Biblo looked at up, slightly startled, when Dwalin said, "That'll be the door."

Victoria followed Bilbo to the door and watched as he opened it, revealing a dwarf with white hair.

"Balin, at your service," the dwarf said, holding his arms straight out and bowing.

"Good Evening," Bilbo replied evenly, still unsure what was going on, expect that Gandalf seem to think he could use Bag End as he pleased.

"Yes, yes it is. Though I think it may rain later," said Balin, walking into the front hall to stand in front of Bilbo. "Am I late?"

"No, no of course not. You seem right on time for whatever this is."

Victoria put a comforting hand on Bilbo's shoulder and watched the two dwarves, who upon seeing each other, felt that a headbutt was a proper greeting for brothers.

"My dear dwarves, there is food and drink in the kitchens, both ale and wine, please help yourself," Victoria said, stepping close to Bilbo again after he closed the front door. "I think I saved you from the dwarves cleaning out your panty."

"Yes, that will probably be true before the night is over. I may be quick to say this, but this night may be worth it in the end, just to have seen your magic." Bilbo looked down the hall to the kitchen, where the dwarves were grumbling over the ale or some such triviality.

When the doorbell rang again, Bilbo muttered to himself, "I think I did speak to soon."

Opening the door reveal two young dwarves, one blonde, one black haired. "Fili," said the blonde, "and Kili," said the other, "at your service," they said together, bowing in unison. "You must be Mr. Boggins," Kili said with a smile.

Bilbo gave off a high pitched, nervous laugh, "That's Baggins. And yes, by all means, come in."

As they walked in, Fili began to disarm, throwing his weapons into Bilbo's arms. "Be careful with these. I just had them sharpened."

Kili moved around admiring Bag End, "It's nice. This place." His brother muttered, "Yeah."

"Did you do it yourself?" Kili asked, scraping the bottom of his boots off on a nearby wooden box. "What? No, it's been in the family for years." Seeing what Kili was doing said in a higher voice, "That's my mother's glory box. Can you please not do that?"

Dwalin walked in saying, "Fili, Kili. Come on, give us a hand."

"Shove this into the hallway. Otherwise we'll never get everybody in," Victoria could hear Balin say down the hall.

"Everyone? How many more are there?" Bilbo asked to no reply as the bell rang again.

Victoria, still in the front hall, decided to save Bilbo the trouble and see who was at the door. Opening the door as she heard Bilbo say, "There are far too many dwarves in my dining room as it is," Victoria had to take a step back, as eight more dwarves felt face first over the threshold. Bilbo moved to stand beside Victoria as they both noticed the Grey Wizard crouch down to peer inside with a smile on his face.

"Gandalf," Victoria and Bilbo said together.

* * *

Supper turned into a rowdy affair, its grand finale was the throwing of the expensive plates and a song which irritated Bilbo to no end. Until he saw all the plates and bowls stacked neatly and cleaned in the kitchen. The dwarves were having a good laugh when a pounding came at the door.

"He is here," said Gandalf ominously.

Victoria opened the door to reveal Thorin Oakenshield. "Victoria," he said with a small smile and nod, "Gandalf, I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way, twice. I would not have found it all had it not been for that mark on the door," Thorin said, moving inside and unclasping his traveling cloak.

"Mark? There's no mark on the door. It was painted a week ago." Bilbo moved into the front hall, clearly approaching his breaking point.

"There is a mark. I put it there myself," Gandalf said as Victoria closed the door. "Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield."

Both Bilbo and Thorin moved toward the other. "So, this is the hobbit. Tell me Mr. Baggins have you done much fighting."

"Pardon me?"

"Ax or sword?" Thorin asked, circling Bilbo.

"Well, I do have some skill at conkers, if you mush know but I fail to see why that's relevant."

"Thought as much. He looks more like a grocer than a burglar." At this, everyone but the two wizards laughed and they all started moving back into the dining hall.

* * *

"What news from the meeting in Ered Luin? Did they all come?" asked Balin as they all sat around the dining table, all save Bilbo.

"Aye, envoys from all seven kingdoms," replied Thorin to cheers from the dwarves.

Dwalin asked, "And what did the Dwarves of the Iron Hill say? Is Dain with us?" His voice turning serious at the end.

"They will not come. They say this quest is our, and ours alone," Thorin said as the dwarves grumbled.

"Your going on a quest?" Bilbo asked, showing up over Gandalf's shoulder. "Bilbo, my dear fellow, lets us have a little more light."

"Far to the east, over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a single, solitary peak."

"The Lonely Mountain," Bilbo read, bring another candle with him.

"Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain, as was foretold," Oin said, "When the birds of yore return to Erebor the reign of the beast will end."

"Uh, what beast?" asked Bilbo.

Bofur answered, "That would be a reference to Smaug the Terrible, chiefest and greatest calamity of our time. Airborne fire-breather, teeth like razors, claws like meat hooks. Extremely fond of precious metals."

"Yes, I know what a dragon is."

Ori stood up exclaiming, "I'm not afraid. I'm up for it. I'll give him a taste of Dwarfish iron right up is jacksie!"

"Sit down," Dori said, pulling Ori back into his seat.

"The task would be difficult enough with an army behind us, but we number just thirteen. And not thirteen of the best, nor brightest," said Balin.

The dwarves grumble among themselves again before Fili said, "We may be few in numbers, but we're fighter. All of us, to the last dwarf," pounding his hand on the table.

Kili spoke up next, hopeful. "And you forgot we have two Wizards in our company. I've bet they've have killed hundreds of dragons between them."

"Oh, well, no. I wouldn't say.."

"I've encountered dragons twice. And both times I escaped with my life. So, I'm gonna call that two wins," Victoria said, speaking up for the first time. She had been listening, wanting to learn all she could about their quest.

"What are dragons like as far as intelligence? Where I'm from, dragon are little more than smart animals."

"Smaug will likely have a sinister and cunning intellect," Gandalf answered.

"Dragons, where I'm from are magical beast. Magic flows through their blood. I just hope Smaug isn't as magic resistance as the dragons I know of."

"You mean to kill the beast, Wizard?" asked Dwalin.

"If the dragon is awake, I see no alternative to a fight. Let us hope he is asleep so we can merely retrieve the Arkenstone. Then we can return with seven armies at our backs," Victoria replied smiling.

"On the sneaking in unnoticed part of the plan, I have something to show you," Victoria said, pulling out her invisibility cloak and standing up as far as she could. "This is my invisibility cloak, when worn completely it can make you totally invisible." She threw the cloak over shoulders, leaving her head visible to demonstrate.

"That is a fine tool, Victoria. How did you come by it?" asked Gandalf.

"I inherited it from my father. It's the only thing I have of his."

Thorin rose from his seat and gravely said, "If we have read these signs do you not think others will have read them too? Rumors have begun to spread. The dragon, Smaug, has not been seen for sixty years. Eyes look east to the mountain, assessing, wondering, weighing the risk. Perhaps the vast wealth of our people now lies unprotected. Do we sit back while others claim what is rightfully ours? Or do we seize this chance to take back Erebor!" his voice rising at the end.

The dwarves began to cheer before Balin said, "You forget, the Front Gate is sealed. There is no way into the mountain."

"I could probably blast my way in, but that would definitely wake the dragon," Victoria supplied unhelpfully.

"My dear Balin, what you said is not entirely true," Gandalf said, producing a key from up his sleeve, twirling it in his fingers.

"How came you by this?" Thorin asked breathlessly. "It was given to me by your father, by Thrain. For safekeeping. It is yours, now."

"If there is a key, there must be a door," asked Fili.

Gandalf, using his pipe, pointed to the map. "These runes speak of a hidden passage to the Lower Halls."

"There's another way in," Kili said, putting his arm around Fili.

"Well, if we can find it but Dwarf doors are invisible when closed." Gandalf sighed. "The answer lies hidden somewhere in this map and I do not have the skill to find it. But there are others in Middle Earth who can. The task I have in mind will require a great deal of stealth and no small amount of courage. But if we are careful and clever, I believe that it can be done."

"That's why we need a burglar," Oin said, like he had come to some great conclusion.

"Hmm. And a good one too. An expert, I'd imagine," Bilbo said looking down at the map.

"And are you?" Gloin asked.

Bilbo was confused at the question coming his way, "Am I what?"

"He said he's an expert!" Oin stated happily.

"Me? No, no, no. I'm not a burglar. I've never stolen anything in my life."

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Mr. Baggins, he's hardly burglar material," Balin stated. "Nope," Bilbo supplied helpfully.

"Aye, the wild is no place for gentle folk who can neither fight nor fend for themselves." Bilbo nodded in agreement with Dwalin's words. The dwarves started chattering angrily among themselves again.

"Enough! If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then a burglar he is." As Gandalf stood, shadows seemed to creep out of nowhere, and his voice grew distorted toward the end.

"Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet. In fact, they can pass unseen by most, if they choose. And while the dragon is accustomed to the smell of Dwarf, the scent of a Hobbit is all but unknown to him, which gives us a distinct advantage." Here Gandalf bent down to address Thorin directly. "You asked me to find the fourteenth member of this company and I have chosen Mr. Baggins. There's a lot more to him than appearance suggest. And he's got a great deal more to offer than any of you know. Including himself. You must trust me on this."

"Very well," Thorin said. "We'll do it your way. Give him the contract."

"It's just the usual. Summary of out of pocket expenses, time required, remunerations, funeral arrangements, and so forth." Balin handed the contract to Bilbo, who asked, "Funeral arrangement?"

Victoria watched Bilbo move into the hall to read the contract while Gandalf and Thorin shared a whispered conversation.

Bilbo apparently didn't like what the contract implied might happen to him. And the dwarves only encouraged his panic until he fainted and fell to the floor in the hall.

"Huh," Victoria said, moving to Enervate him.

* * *

Two hours after the company set off from Bag End the next day, Victoria sat on her black horse, thinking back on the night before. After Bilbo fainted, he and Gandalf talked for a while. She went about cleaning and repairing Bag End. When the dwarves started singing a slow, mournful song, she was working on her pack, casting an Undetectable Extension Charm on one of the side pouches. She then began duplicating more of the food and drink from Bilbo's pantry and storing it in the pouch under Preservation Charms. She was trying to tune out the dwarves complaining that coming to Bag End was a waste of time when she heard a voice call out behind them.

"Wait!" Victoria turned her horse to see Bilbo running toward them. "I signed it," he said, holding the contract in the air. He then walked over to Balin and handed it to him.

"Everything appears to be in order," Balin stated so all could hear after examining the contract, "Welcome, Master Baggins, to the Company of Thorin Oakenshield.

"Give him a pony," Thorin called out before turning his horse back to the east.

"No, no. That won't be necessary. I'm sure I can keep up on foot. I've done my fair share of walking holidays, you know? Even got as far as Frogmorton once." Bilbo just finished as Fili and Kili lifted him up as a pony was ushered underneath him.

Victoria watched with amusement as the dwarves settled their bets on Bilbo's change of heart, and gave a laugh when Gandalf won a bag of coins leaning over to say something to Bilbo.

* * *

For six days they rode at a slow pace, Victoria conjuring Bilbo a black cotton handkerchief, the company listened to Balin's tale of the Battle of Moria and Azog the Defiler at camp one night, and Gandalf talked of the other Wizards while the company rode through a light shower. Victoria thought of casting Impervious Charms on everyone, but she didn't want to show up Gandalf after he said he couldn't do anything.

On the sixth day, they approached a broken down farm house on the edge of the Trollshaws as the sun was setting. Thorin shouted they would camp here and for some of the dwarves to get a fire going, but Gandalf moved to converse with Thorin in private. The only thing Victoria heard was Gandalf suggesting it would be wise to move on and make for Rivendell.

Gandalf stormed away from Thorin and said he was, "going to seek the company of the only one around here, besides Victoria, who's got any sense." As Gandalf prepared to ride off, Bilbo asked who, to which Gandalf said, "myself, Mr. Baggins. I've had enough of dwarves for one day."

In the late hours before dawn, the food was finally served out. Victoria sat quietly eating, watching the company. She felt more responsible for them with Gandalf away. She heard Bofur ask Bilbo to take two bowls of food to the dwarves on look out. Fili and Kili, if she wasn't mistaken. Victoria put it out of her mind until she finished her bowl of stew and Bilbo hadn't returned.

Pulling her wand out, Victoria cast a Silencing Charm on her feet and started toward where the dwarves were suppose to keep sentry. She pasted the ponies and her horse on her way to investigate some over turned trees, thinking there seems to be less ponies than before. Only something very big and very strong could have uprooted those trees. As Victoria was looking over the trees, she saw the light of a fire in the distance. 'What's big and strong and lives in a place called Trollshaws?' she thought sarcastically, drawing out Arwen's sword.

Victoria started creeping toward the light, and after a few seconds she heard a rustling to her left. Looking over, she saw Fili and Kili running back to camp, presumably to warn the rest of the trolls.

Reaching the clearing that was the source of the light, she saw a curious sight. Three trolls standing behind a cauldron burning over a fire, the middle troll holding Bilbo in his hand while all three gazed at him in wonder. Victoria noted that these trolls stood as tall as the trolls she remembered from home, but these three were way more muscular. Also, Bilbo seemed to be covered in troll boogies. Every time with the trolls and the snot.

"Blimey! Bert, Bert. Look what's come out of me hooter."

Victoria almost laughed at that before she cast her wand like a fisherman before snatching it back. Bilbo flew out of the troll's hand and toward Victoria. Seeing Bilbo was headed over her left shoulder, she cast a Cushioning Charm on him to break his landing. Turning back, Victoria saw the trolls were confused that the hobbit in their grasp suddenly flew out of it.

Remembering her first troll experience, Victoria swished and flicked the Elder Wand at the cauldron and said, "Leviosa." The cauldron rose in the air slightly above the heads of the trolls, and turning her wrist and then bringing her wand down, Victoria brought the cauldron down on the middle troll, covering his head with the cauldron and spilling the boiling contents all over him. The troll screamed in pain, which was distorted by the cauldron, and then screamed louder when he reached up to lift the cauldron off to find it flaming hot from being over the fire.

The troll to the left of the group regained his senses faster than the other one and charged at the Wizard. With a jab of the Elder Wand, lightning lanced across the clearing, impacting on the troll's chest. He seemed stunned from the blast but nothing more. 'Trolls must have thick enough hide to have some electrical resistance,' Victoria thought wearily.

'Sectumsempra', she thought, slashing her wand diagonally at the troll. A large cut sliced across the troll from shoulder to half way down his stomach, but it only seemed to bring him out of his stunned state, as he gave a bellow of rage at Victoria. When the troll opened its mouth to roar at her, she saw an opportunity.

Aiming carefully she shouted, "Expulso." A jet of blue light burst from her wand, going right down the troll's throat. The troll almost seemed to swallow the curse before his head exploded into a hundred little chunks that flew everywhere. He dropped dead to the ground with enough force to send out small tremors.

Victoria lost her balance for a second, looking around to see the troll wearing a cauldron for a hat was still dealing with that. To her right she heard a grunt and turned to see the other troll had snuck up on her and was about to step on her. Holding Arwen's sword up, hoping to inflict some damage when the troll squashed her, Victoria was surprised to see Kili fly out of the bushes and with a over head swipe of his sword, he sliced into the bottom of the troll's foot as it was coming down.

"You will not harm her, troll." Kili looked at the troll with disgust. The troll jumped around on his uninjured foot as Thorin came out of the brush behind him, swinging his sword, hamstringing the troll's good leg. The troll dropped to his knees, hunched over, howling in pain. Dwalin walked up slowly, bringing his war hammer up high over his head, before bringing it straight down on the top of the troll's head with all his might. Dwalin's hammer sank three inches into the troll's skull before it fell over dead, the dwarf managing to rip his hammer back out before the troll hit the floor.

"How shall we deal with the last, Master Wizard?" shouted Thorin as all the dwarves came out of the woods.

Before Victoria could speak, a blooming voice said, "**The dawn will take him**!"

The company looked up to see Gandalf crack a boulder in two, revealing the sun behind it. The troll, just managing to remove the cauldron from his head, looked horrific with burns covering his head and neck. He screamed in pain or rage, Victoria did not know, as the rays of the sun hit his back and his body turned to stone before the eye's of the company.

* * *

"And where did you go to, if I may ask? If not for Victoria, I do not think we could have taken three trolls. She killed one herself and incapacitated the one you defeated with sunlight." Thorin, Gandalf, and Victoria were standing next to the stone troll as the other packed up camp.

"I went to look ahead," Gandalf said cryptically.

"What brought you back?"

"Looking behind."

All three smiled at that. "Nasty business," said Gandalf, "Still, they're all in one piece." Gandalf started staring at the troll statue. "They must have come down for the Ettenmoors."

"Since when do mountain trolls venture this far south?"asked Thorin. "Oh. Not for an age, not since a darker power ruled these lands." replied Gandalf.

"Oh, come on. This place is called Trollshaws. You are surprised we ran into trolls?" Victoria said looking at them both.

When neither offered an answer she asked, "Since they turn to stone in sunlight, doesn't that mean they have a cave nearby? Really nearby, if they were cooking so close to dawn."

"A troll horde, perhaps," Thorin said, looking around.

* * *

Victoria was the first to find the cave, calling out to the others before entering. The smell hit her immediately as she passed the dead bodies, probably some belonging to the farmer's family. She drew her wand and began casting Scouring Charms on the air. Taking her right hand away from her nose, she found the air mildly improved. Looking around she saw a lot of junk and bones lying everywhere. Moving farther in, Victoria began to see chest of treasure intermixed in the junk and a pile of gold coins just laying on the ground.

Scanning the rest of the cave, Victoria's eyes alighted on a pair of swords in a rack of a lot of swords. These two swords seemed to shine despite the dust and cobwebs that covered them. She cast two more Scouring Charms on the swords as she approached them. As she pocketed her wand and reached for both swords, she heard the dwarves start to enter the cave.

The sword in her right hand was the longer of the two and seemed to be double-edged and had a blue grip. It was simple and elegant in Victoria's opinion. The other sword was probably single-edged when unsheathed and had a handle of bone.

Hearing someone coming up behind her, Victoria turned to find Gandalf, holding a long dagger that was as shiny as the two swords she held.

"Here," she said, handing him the bone-handled sword, "I think this is more your size."

"I had intended to give this to Bilbo, if you must know. Seems the right size for a hobbit," Gandalf said, taking the sword from her.

Finally having her left hand free, Victoria grabbed the scabbard with her left hand and pulled the sword out with her right. The blade was long and slightly leaf shaped and so polished the sword seemed to give off a pale white light as the meager sunlight entering the cave struck the blade.

Laying the scabbard down, she stored Arwen's sword in the expanded pouch on her pack. Victoria drew her wand and tapped the grip, the sheath, and the belt once with her wand, changing the color to black.

"I think I'm going to claim this sword if no one minds, something about it just feels right," Victoria said, replacing the belt she was wearing with the sword belt.

Holding up her new sword, watching it catch more light, she asked, "What do you make of these, Gandalf?"

"I believe these swords, and this dagger, where forged in Gondolin by the High Elves of the First Age. How they came to be in a troll hoard is a mystery to me. They must have passed many leagues and through many vile hands to reach these trolls. Lord Elrond will be able to tell us more when we reach Rivendell."

"Are we going to Rivendell?" Victoria asked softly, looking around at Thorin, "Thorin seems dead set on no encounters with elves."

"Thorin's distrust of elves runs deep," stated Gandalf, leaning closer, "but circumstances may force us to Rivendell. Or maybe you could try reasoning with him, goodness knows I've gotten no where with him. He seems to respect you more after your fight with the trolls than he first did."

"I shall try, but make no promises."

* * *

As Victoria exited the cave she saw a couple dwarves burying a chest full of gold coins. She thought to shrink it so the dwarves could carry it with them but thought better of it. No guarantee the chest wouldn't be lost along the way given the dangers they would face, better bury it here and leave it where its save.

Victoria walked out of the cave, looking right to see Gandalf handing Bilbo the elvish dagger. Peace and quiet reigned for a few minutes before Thorin yelled, "Something's coming!"

Drawing her new sword and wand, she heard Gandalf say, "Stay together! Hurry now. Arm yourselves."

* * *

The company formed a semi-circle, ready to defend whatever was making all that noise heading their way.

"Thieves! Fire! Murder!" Victoria heard the voice of a old man yell before a sled pulled by very large rabbits came to an abrupt stop in front of them.

"Radagast," Gandalf said with a relieved sigh. "It's Radagast the Brown," he said louder, so all could hear. "Well, what on earth are you doing here?"

* * *

'If Gandalf looks like Merlin, then Radagast looks like he belongs in St. Mungo's with Lockhart,' Victoria thought, looking at the brown wizard with bird crap on his face. Gandalf had moved away from the company to speak with Radagast in private. Normally, she would butt in, claiming that wizard business concerned her too, but she needed to speak with Thorin about Rivendell.

Seeing he sat alone while they waited on Gandalf, she sat down next to him. "You know, they're probably two people in the world who can unlock the secret of that map. And they're elves." Thorin sneered and looked like he was about to start degrading elves when Victoria stopped him by speaking first.

She looked into Thorin's eyes and with her own hoped to convey her love of Rivendell and her friend Arwen. "When I first arrived here in Middle Earth, it was the Lady Galadriel of the Golden Wood who guided me to safety. It was Lord Elrond of Rivendell who took me in and his daughter, Lady Arwen, who taught me swordplay. And none of those elves are the elves of the Green Wood who would not come to your aid."

Reaching over, Victoria put her right hand on his shoulder. "Please reconsider going to Rivendell, if only to answer the secrets of the map. The entire company will be treated well there. I promise." She looked over to Gandalf to see him letting Radagast take a drag on his pipe. Judging from Radagast's reaction to the smoke, she began to wonder if something else other than tobacco was in that pipe. She would have to ask him later.

Turning back to Thorin she said, "I've heard word of something ancient and dark moving in the shadows once again. A time may come when all free races will need to put aside their grudges and come together against an evil more dangerous than a dragon."

Before Thorin could say anything, a loud growl was heard. She heard Bilbo ask if it was a wolf, but she didn't hear the answer as she saw a warg creep over a ridge in the trees between two boulders and leap at one of the dwarves.

"Confringo," yelled Victoria, pointing her wand at the face of the warg while it was in mid-air. Orange light erupted from the tip of her wand, catching the warg in the shoulder as it moved through the air. An explosion of fire blew away the right front leg of the warg, sending him flying five feet through air away from the dwarves and hitting the ground.

Victoria turned to see Kili put an arrow in a second warg and Thorin finish it off with his sword.

"Warg scouts," Thorin said, pulling his sword out of the beast's neck. "Which means an orc pack is not far behind."

"Who did you tell about your quest beyond your kin?" Gandalf asked forcefully.

"No one."

"Who did you tell?" Gandalf asked again.

"No one, I swear. What in Durin's name is going on?" Thorin asked, breathless.

"You are being hunted."

"We have to get out of here," Dwalin said.

"We can't, we have no ponies, only Victoria's horse stayed," Ori stated fearfully, cresting over a hill in the wood.

"I'll draw them off," Radagast stated with confidence.

"These are Gundabad Wargs. They will out run you," Gandalf said, his tone harsh given the situation.

"These are Rhosgobel Rabbits. I'd like to see them try." Victoria had to admit, the sled moved pretty fast when she saw it moving earlier.

"And while Radagast leads them away, which path will we take Thorin? Will we go to Rivendell?" she asked, turning the the leader of their company.

"Their is a secret path not far from here. All we have to do it make it there in one piece. It's our best chance out of these circumstance, Thorin," Gandalf said, gazing down with a hopeful look his face.

Thorin's gazed at Victoria for many long seconds before saying, "So be it then. Lead on, Gandalf. Guide us to this secret path."

Victoria smiled warmly at Thorin. He wasn't always as stubborn as Gandalf suggested.

* * *

A/N: I gave Glamdring to Victoria mostly because I like the way Glamdring looks in the movies and I wanted my MC to have it. Gandalf still gets Orcrist. Always thought it stupid they buried a badass sword with Thorin. The line about what's in Gandalf's pipe is just a joke, nothing will come of it. One reviewer suggested not using dialogue from the movie. I'm not going to novelize the whole movie but I like the conversations and the way they talk in general. But if you don't like that don't worry, things will be different because Victoria is there, mostly the battles, and everything changes at Mirkwood.

A/N2: I am so sorry the whole chapter was bolded. I bold the whole chapter to make it easier on the eyes to proof read and forgot to change it back before posting.


	5. Chapter 5

"_Italics_" - Elvish, Sindarin

'Normal' -thoughts to one's self

'_Italics_' - thought speak (thought speak only applies with Galadriel)

Sorry again the last chapter was posted with all bold text for the first day.  
Also Confringo and Expulso are both Blasting Charms according to hp wiki. The difference is Confringo is an explosion of fire and Expulso is an explosion of pressure and force.  
Some reviewers misunderstood in my last author's note when I said Gandalf still gets Orcrist. I meant since I'm giving Glamdring to my MC, Gandalf still gets a badass elven sword. I know Gandalf carried Glamdring in the original story. Sorry if I chose my words poorly.

A/N: I do not own Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, or The Hobbit.

* * *

Everything was going so well. Radagast led the wargs, about half of which carried orc riders, on a merry chase. Gandalf guided the company from one large rock formation to another as the wargs and riders passed by. When they finally made it to the last boulder before the terrain turned into rolling hills and a few trees sparsely dotting the land, it seemed their luck ran out. An orc rider apparently caught their scent and was investigating from the top of the boulder they were hiding against.

Kili was forced to step out and fire an arrow into the orc's chest. Victoria stepped out as well, killing the warg, that was now barring its teeth with a snarl, with Sectumsempra horizontally through its open mouth. The orc fell from the dead mount and stood up with an arrow protruding from his chest. He charged in a rage at the company, letting out loud, echoing war cries. The dwarves quickly surrounded him, but the orc died slowly, bloody ear-piercing screams coming from him before Victoria could get a clear shot to cast Silencio.

She could hear the wargs stop their chase and turn to run towards them. Apparently Gandalf heard it too because he shouted, "Move! Run!" They followed Gandalf, sprinting as fast as they could for the most part, as he led them over the hills. Victoria hoped they could make it to this Hidden Path, but she dropped back to the rear of the group to protected them if they were overtaken. She looked over to see Kili doing the same.

"If they catch us, leave them to me. Follow Gandalf and Thorin. You need to protect Thorin," Victoria shouted to him, hoping his sense of duty would compel him to follow her instructions.

They group stopped for a moment to look around. Quickly Gloin spotted a few wargs coming over a distant hill. "There they are!," he shouted. "This way," Gandalf commanded, leading them toward a large stone outcrop. They ran for a few minutes, following Gandalf. When they all reached outcrop, Gandalf seemed to disappear for a moment before popping up over a smaller boulder. "This way." He then disappeared again.

"Go," Victoria shouted, "I will cover your retreat." She watched as the dwarves all made it down whatever passage lay in the rocks, drawing out her sword, her wand already in her left hand. Turning, she found herself slowly being surrounded by wargs, eight with orc riders and six without.

Victoria saw one of the orcs shout something and swing his black sword to point at her. The unmounted wargs moved forward cautiously, while she thought it was a good idea to take out the leader again.

"Expulso," she thought, pointing the Elder Wand at the orc who spoke. The blue curse struck the orc in the abdomen as the wargs began to charge at full speed. Victoria watched as the orc's stomach exploded and it was sent flying. The warg he was riding was slammed to the ground under the force of the wave of pressure released in the explosion. She didn't have time to wonder if that warg was out of the fight or just stunned as the unmounted wargs grew closer to her.

Jabbing her wand forward, Victoria let out a bolt of lighting that consumed two of the wargs in crackling electrical energy. Hearing the pounding of paws to her right, she dropped the point of her sword down and to the left and turned to see a warg leaping at her, mouth open to tear into her. Victoria swung her sword with all the strength she processed in a sweeping arc from left to right. The edge of the blade bit into the side of the warg's face and continued on, slicing the top of its head off.

Victoria pivoted on her left foot, bringing her right foot back to avoid the corpse of the warg, and used the spinning motion to initiate disapparation. She apparated behind the line of orc riders, the two loud cracks cause by apparation so close confused the orcs. The three unmounted wargs were not fooled and began running at her from her old position, on the other side of the orc riders. Another lightning blast between the riders took out one more unmounted warg before Victoria heard a horn blow.

Arrows rained from the sky as elves on horseback bared down on the orc raiding party. Victoria was surprised she didn't hear the horses coming, but wasn't going to look a gift elven-horse in the mouth. Quickly orc and warg both fell to expertly placed arrows and Victoria turned to meet whoever these elves were.

She was grateful to see Elrond and his two sons leading the party. "_What brings the Lord of Imladris out so far from his hidden valley_?" she called as they approached.

"_We are not so far from my home, my dear wizard. We heard tale of an orc hunting party coming up from the South. Strange for them to venture so close to Imladris." _Elrond dismounted and greeted Victoria by placing both hands on her shoulders. "_It is good to see you well, Arwen will be glad of your safe return to us."_

_"I travel still with Gandalf the Grey, and we are, uh, escorting as party of dwarves across the Misty Mountains. I believe they have taken some hidden path to Imladris over there in those rocks. And it might be our fault the orcs came this close to your lands," _Victoria added at the end, sheepishly. She trusted Elrond, but the Quest of Erebor was not her story to tell, even if she was along for the ride.

Elrond gestured with his hand and the elven party moved their horses, allowing a black horse at the back to walk forward.

"_We found your horse a league west from here. It was her who led us to you. Some elven-trained horses bond with their first rider after training. It seems this horse has developed quite a fondness for you."_

_"What is her name? I never thought to ask," _Victoria said, looking at the horse as the horse stared back at her with large, soulful eyes.

"_It is customary for the first rider to give a horse its name," _Elladan said walking up next to Victoria to greet her as his brother did the same.

"I think I will name her Luna," Victoria said switching back to English. Those eyes of her horse just reminded her of Luna Lovegood.

"What does that name stand for?" Elrond asked.

"It's an old word for the Moon."

* * *

Two days passed before the elves and Victoria approached Rivendell. She led the group across the narrow path and was grateful to see the company and Gandalf waiting near the stairs that led to the city proper. Victoria led her horse to the side of the stairs and dismounted, turning around to see the elves circling the dwarves. The company didn't seem to appreciate being surrounded by mounted elves. Victoria was about to yell at the elves for their display but she held her tongue when Elrond dismount and spoke to Gandalf and then Thorin respectfully.

Victoria caught sight of white light in her peripheral vision, turning to gaze up the stairs, she saw Arwen standing at the top. Adorned in a dress of pure white, which contrasted beautifully with her raven hair, and a silver tiara, she looked amazing in Victoria's opinion. Ignoring the company and the elves, Victoria quickly climbed the stairs and crushed Arwen in a hug.

"I have missed you, mellon."

"And I you. It is good to see you well, my dear wizard. Come, lets you and I retire to my room.

Victoria made a gesture with her hand while saying, "Lead the way."

Arwen slipped her arm through Victoria's and guided her to the elven crafted building that held her room.

"_I have a new idea for a prank we can play on my brothers."_

* * *

_"You want me to hide under my cloak and make your brothers trip during the duel you're going to challenge them to? You're going to fight them both at the same time?"_

_"Yes," _Arwen said, looking at Victoria with the puppy dog eyes.

_"You taught me that look. Why does it still work on me?"_

"_Because I am your best friend, and you and mine."_

_"OK, I'll do it. But lets talk of something else. Anything new going on at Rivendell?"_ Victoria asked, laying down on Arwen's bed.

"_The Lady Galadriel is on her way to Rivendell as we speak. She should arrive after sunset two days from now."_

_"It will be nice to finally meet her in person. So far, she is just a voice in my head."_

_"Come," _Arwen said, _"Your room is how you left it, I believe you will want to bathe and change clothes before the feast tonight."_

_"Feast?"_

_"To honor the coming of two wizards and a company of Dwarf-lords, Thorin Oakenshield among them."_

* * *

After cleaning up, Victoria made her way to the open air dining patio. She found herself seated next to Gandalf, who was next to Elrond at the head of the table. Thorin sat opposite Gandalf. Elrond asked questions of Gandalf about their travels. Gandalf gave truthful answers for the most part, but his answers were vague and evasive when it came to the goal of the journey. Victoria didn't think that this slipped by Elrond like Gandalf hoped.

When the topic of the battle with the trolls came up, Gandalf asked Elrond if he could inspect the two elven swords.

Elrond gazed long at the bone-handled sword Gandalf produced first. "This is Orcrist, the Goblin-Cleaver. A famous blade, used in battle by Ecthelion against the Lord of Balrogs. Forged by the High-Elves of the West, my kin. May it serve you well, Mithrandir."

Victoria passed over her new sword as Elrond handed Orcrist back to Gandalf. "Turgon, King of Gondolin has, holds, and wields the sword, Glamdring. Foe of Morgoth's Realm. Hammer to the Orcs," Elrond said, translating the runes across the guard. "This is Glamdring, the Foe-Hammer. These were made for the Goblin Wars of the First Age."

As Elrond handed Glamdring back to Victoria, he raised an eyebrow and said, "You seem to have a knack for collecting relics of my kin, Victoria. Are you sure we shouldn't call you Treasure Hunter."

Victoria snatched Glamdring back. "The first relic was given to me," she said looking at Elrond pointedly. "Though I don't mind the title Treasure Hunter, sounds cool."

"How could something sound cold?" Thorin asked.

"Uh. It's just an expression from my original world."

* * *

After dinner, Victoria returned to her room ready to lay down on a nice bed and sleep till noon the next day. She didn't get her wish as Arwen was waiting, sitting in front of the mirror and water-filled basin, brushing her hair that was the same color as Victoria's.

Upon hearing Victoria enter, Arwen turned and said, "_I thought you might like for me to brush your hair like we did months ago_."

"_That sounds brilliant." _The horse hair brush always felt like a scalp massage to her. "_Though I don't usually find such a serious look on your face, my friend._"

"_Galadriel thinks you might be unhappy_."

"_And why is that? I've found purpose with Gandalf. The opportunity to help and have some adventures on the side._" Victoria thought her old self might have disliked the idea of another authority figure butting into his life. But now she kind of felt gratitude toward Arwen and Galadriel being their for her.

"_Purpose may appease the heart for a time. But only love can do it forever_."

"_Please don't tell me you and Galadriel plan to play matchmaker for me. I'm still a man up here, mostly_," Victoria said, pointing to the head. "_I'm still drawn to the female gender. It might be hard to find a woman to love me in return._"

"_While it is expected of high-born elves to find a husband they love and bear children, and even though more elf-maidens leave Middle Earth for the West, less elf-maidens chose the path of the warrior and so less die in combat. In Imladris alone the count of females outnumbers the count of males by half again. So, it is not uncommon or looked down on for two elf-maidens to find love and comfort in each other's arms. I do not know if the Race of Men or Dwarves practice this kind of love._" Victoria looked over to Arwen to find her gauging Victoria's reaction to the words.

After a few seconds, Victoria said, "_Do male elves, uh, practice this kind of love as well?_"

_"Maybe," _Arwen answered_, "It may be that it does happen and is kept more private. We are a private race with our romantic affections."_

_"What was that story you told me of the elf-maiden who fell in love with a mortal and forsook her immortality to love him?"_

_"The Tale of Beren and Lúthien."_

_"You want me to play Beren to some version of Lúthien? It would mean the death of an immortal being."_

Arwen hung her head at these words, "_Since you left Imladris, I have been attempting to use my gift of foresight, focusing on you. Hoping I could uncover some piece of information that my help you_."

Raising her eyes to meet Victoria's, she continued, "_My gift is not a strong as my father's. The only image that was clear was of you and an elf, glad in the leather armor of the elves of Mirkwood. She had beautiful auburn hair that glittered as the sunlight passed through it. You both stood back to back, fighting off monstrous spiders._"

"_I have never put much faith in fortune telling, but I have faith in you. I will think on what you have said_," Victoria stated, smiling a small smile at her friend.

"_That's all I can ask for._"

* * *

Victoria spent two days training and chatting with Arwen. She occasionally ran into Gandalf and Thorin. Gandalf seemed to be trying to convince Thorin to show Lord Elrond the map. From what Victoria overheard, Thorin was considering the decision. Victoria merely thought his dislike of elves was warring with his need to understand the map.

On the night Galadriel was supposed to arrive, Victoria was summoned to Elrond's study. Upon entering she found Gandalf, Bilbo, Thorin, Balin, and Lord Elrond waiting for her.

"I do not know if this is the right decision, Gandalf." Thorin looked up at the Grey Wizard.

"For goodness sake, Thorin, show him the map."

"It is the legacy of my people. It's mine to protect, as are its secrets," Thorin replied evenly.

"Save me for the stubbornness of Dwarves. You stand in the presence of one of the few in Middle Earth who can read that map. Show it to him."

Victoria walked forward and placed a hand on Thorin's shoulder. "Trust me," was all she said.

Thorin stared at the floor for many seconds before walking forward and handing the folded map to the Elven-lord.

As Elrond opened the map fully he said, "Erebor." His gaze turned to Thorin. "What is your interest in this map?"

"It's mainly academic. As you know this sort of artifact sometimes contains hidden text," Gandalf said, looking down with a small smile at Thorin while Elrond moved to look at the map in the moonlight.

"You still read ancient Dwarvish, do you not?" Gandalf asked Elrond as Elrond held the map up into a direct beam of light from the moon.

"_Moon runes," _Lord Elrond stated.

"Moon runes?" asked Gandalf. "Of course." Turning to Bilbo he said, "An easy thing to miss."

"Well is this case that is true. Moon runes can only be read by the light of a moon of the same shape and season as the day on which they were written," Elrond said, turning back to the others.

"Can you read them?" asked Thorin.

"Follow me."

* * *

Elrond led them up a long set of stone stairs outside his study, which led to a cave off to the left. Following the comfortable sized tunnel, they took another left and found themselves under Rivendell's waterfall. On the far side of the ledge they were all walking on was a crystal dais.

"These runes were written on a Midsummer's Eve by the light of a crescent moon nearly two-hundred years ago. It would seem you were meant to come to Rivendell," Elrond said, laying the map on the dais. "Fate is with you Thorin Oakenshield. That same moon shines upon us tonight."

Victoria watched as the crescent moon revealed itself from behind the clouds, sending moonlight through the water cascading down. Some of the rays of light struck the dais, making it glow soft white. Looking over Thorin's shoulder, she could see blue runes appear in a previously blank portion of the map.

"Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks and the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the keyhole."

"Durin's day?" Victoria and Bilbo asked together. "And what the hell is a thrush?" Victoria asked by herself.

"A thrush is a small type of bird. And Durin's Day is the start of the Dwarves' new year. When the last moon of autumn and the first sun of winter appear in the sky together," Gandalf explained.

"This is ill news," Thorin stated as Victoria said, "We are suppose to follow around birds to find the door?"

"Summer is passing. Durin's day will soon be upon us," Thorin continued as Victoria asked, "Are these magic birds?"

"We still have time," Balin said, taking a step toward Thorin.

"Time? For what?" Bilbo asked.

"To find the entrance," Balin said over his shoulder to Bilbo. Now looking at Thorin he explained, "We have to be standing in exactly the right spot at exactly the right time. Then, and only then, can the door be opened."

"So this is your purpose, to enter the mountain."

"What of it?" Thorin asked in almost a challenging tone.

"There are some who would not deem it wise," Elrond stated in a tone that urged caution.

Victoria, remembering something McGonagall once said stated, "Those who dare, win." Elrond looked into her eyes. She thought he was trying to gauge her full power.

"Who do you mean?" asked Gandalf, drawing Elrond's attention to him.

"You are not the only guardian to stand watch over Middle Earth." At this, Elrond turned and headed back into the tunnel and toward Rivendell.

* * *

The group followed Elrond through the tunnels and down the stairs, but Victoria noticed Gandalf slip back to speak in hushed words with Thorin. When they reached Elrond's study, the dwarves and lone hobbit slipped over toward their guest rooms. Victoria decided to follow Gandalf and Elrond to wherever they were headed. She caught up to them on a pathway outside.

"Of course I was going to tell you. I was waiting for this very chance. And really, I think you can trust that I know what I am doing," Gandalf said, continuing on the path.

"Do you? That dragon has slept for sixty years. What will happen if your plan should fail? If you wake the beast?"

"That's what I'm here for. I'd like to think I'm the magical muscle here. No offence, Gandalf. If the dragon awakes, Gandalf and I should be able to handle it," Victoria said, making her presence known behind the two males.

"And what if we succeed?" asked Gandalf, "If the dwarves take back the mountain our defense in the east with be strengthen."

"It is a dangerous move, Gandalf."

"It is also dangerous to do nothing," Gandalf replied, "The throne of Erebor is Thorin's birthright."

"I must agree with Gandalf, this dragon must be dealt with. These dwarves deserve their home back," Victoria stated with conviction.

"What is it you fear?" Gandalf asked his old friend.

"Have you forgotten?" asked Elrond. "A strain of madness runs deep in that family. His grandfather was consumed with dwarfish gold-lust. Can you swear Thorin Oakenshield will not also fall?"

"Thorin is not his grandfather. From what I've heard in our travels, he built a new life in the Blue Mountains for his people through hard work and good leadership. His will is strong enough to not give into greed. Trust me on this, my Lord." Victoria could see in her mind Thorin reuniting the dwarven clans and creating something prosperous.

Elrond considered Victoria's words before saying, "Victoria, these decision do not rest with us alone. It is not up to you or I to redraw the map of Middle Earth."

"No, but it is up to me to help those who ask for it," Victoria stated emphatically, echoing a sentiment of Dumbledore's. None of the three noticed Thorin and Bilbo listening in on their conversation.

As they began to ascend a spiral set of steps, Gandalf said, "With or without our help, these dwarves will march on the mountain. They're determined to reclaim their homeland."

At the top of the steps, Gandalf continued on, "I do not believe Thorin Oakenshield feels that he is answerable to anyone. Nor for the matter am I."

The three entered a circular gazebo when Elrond stopped and said to Gandalf, "It in not me that you two must answer to."

Gazing between the two men, Victoria saw an elf-maiden with blonde hair, adorned in soft grey robes, and with a tiara of silver above her brow. This Elf Lady was beautiful beyond description. Victoria's mouth might have hung open if she wasn't so used to Arwen's ethereal beauty. Victoria had to give the edge to Arwen but only just.

Gandalf moved forward, happiness radiating from him. "Lady Galadriel."

"Mithrandir, Victoria, it warms my heart to see you both, one for the first time." Turning to Gandalf she said, "_It has been a long time._"

"_Age may change some but has not changed the Lady of Lorien_." Galadriel smiled sweetly at Gandalf's words.

Victoria pushed her was passed Elrond and Gandalf to stand before Galadriel.

"So you are the voice in my head. I must say you are prettier than even I imagined," Victoria said, hoping her gazed looked appraising and cold.

Suddenly, her face broke into a huge smile. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, my Lady," giving Galadriel a small bow.

Galadriel stepped forward, and to Victoria's surprise, pulled her into a hug. "Long I have waited to meet you in person. I would very much like it if you would consider me your friend as well as ally."

"Haven't you been looking in my head," Victoria said, slightly pulling back. "You should already know I think of you as my friend."

"That is good to hear. Thank you, mellon." Galadriel brought her mouth close to Victoria ear and said, "_If you should ever need my help, I will come._"

Gandalf stated after Galadriel and Victoria seperated, "I had no idea Lord Elrond had sent for you."

"He didn't," came a voice out of the shadows, "I did." Gandalf looked like a child caught by his parents, but quickly schooled his face before turning around to the new comer.

"Ah," said Gandalf bowing, "Saruman."

"You've been busy of late, my old friend."

At this those present started moving toward another circular patio with a table in the middle. Victoria moved to follow but found Gandalf in her way.

"Victoria, would you mind terribly looking after the company while I try to plead our case."

"What aren't you telling me?" ask Victoria.

Bending down to whisper next to Victoria's ear, Gandalf spoke, "The dwarves must make for the path northeast immediately. You must tell Thorin this. I will delay this meeting as long as I can. Go with them. Thorin and I have already discussed this possibility."

"Ok, Gandalf. But I want you to tell me everything that was said of importance in your meeting. I don't like being in the dark."

"Agreed."

* * *

Victoria waiting until she was alone before apparating into the dwarves' guest rooms. She was surprised to find them all naked, barely covered by towels. Upon asking they said they went for a swim in one of the bigger fountains. 'That must have scared some nearby elves," Victoria thought.

Finding Thorin in his room, fully clothed thankfully, she entered and said, "Gandalf says it is time to leave. We should use the northeast path out of Rivendell."

"Yes, Gandalf said we should sneak out and wait in the mountains for him. I'll inform the others."

"Ok, I have something I must do first, but it will not take long. I'll meet you at the beginning of the path." And with that said, Victoria apparated to her room, packing, cleaning, and dressing in her wizard robes and hat for the road. She then apparated to Arwen's room, hopefully able to see her friend one last time.

"Arwen," she called over to the bed, seeing Arwen stretched out reading an old tome. "I have to leave. Now, as I matter of fact. I do not know when I will see you again."

Arwen rose from her bed and enveloped Victoria in a hug, which she returned gratefully. "_If you do not make it back in one piece and whole, I will be very cross_," Arwen said, resting her head on Victoria's shoulder.

"_Oh, you know, danger just seems to find me. I can make no promises._" Victoria pulled back and drew her wand, waving it in a half circle at her pack saying, "Accio."

Arwen's sword flew from the expanded pouch and into Victoria's hands. "_You lent this to me for protection, but it is yours and I have found my own sword._"

When Victoria tried to hand the sword back to Arwen, she declined with a gesture and said, "_I gave it to you to protect you, you may find yourself in need of a spare blade._"

Here Arwen's eyes turned mischievous as she said, "_Or you could give it to your new auburn-haired friend and she can protect you with it._"

* * *

Victoria apparated to where she knew the path began. She could see the party of dwarves making their way toward the path, sticking to the shadows.

"All set?" Victoria called as they approached. She could see Bilbo bringing up the rear, turning to gaze back at Rivendell. She would not have blamed him for staying, Rivendell was tempting in its peaceful atmosphere. Especially when the sapphire ring on her finger was within the city.

"We must walk through the night, lets us start on, Master Wizard," Thorin said, nodding his head toward her.

* * *

For two days they walked, Victoria wishing almost once an hour she could have brought Luna with her. But the terrain of the Misty Mountains of her map suggested high mountain passes over deep valleys and she would not risk her beautiful horse.

After the sun set on the second day, the company found themselves walking along a narrow ledge on the side of a sheer rock face in the pouring rain. After walking a while, Thorin held his fist up to signal to stop. Bilbo must have not been paying attention because he bumped into the dwarf in front of him and stumbled over the ledge. Victoria could see Bilbo grasp the side of the ledge, holding on for his life. Before she could move into place to levitate him, Thorin had already jumped down, holding the ledge with one hand, and hoisted Bilbo to safety before being pulled up by Dwalin.

"I thought we'd lost our burglar," Dwalin stated, relieved Bilbo was fine.

"He's been lost ever since he left home. He should never have come." Thorin looked to continue but he noticed Victoria glaring daggers at him. "There is a cave here. We shall check it to see if we can camp here tonight and get out of this downpour."

* * *

Victoria was so mad at Thorin she cast an Impervious Charm and a Warming Charm on herself and took up watch outside the cave in a conjured chair. Why would he belittle poor Bilbo? Thorin had the dwarves search the cave for any occupants and none were found and then he ordered the dwarves to get some sleep. He planned to leave at first light. Victoria thought the plan was to wait for Gandalf, but she guessed Gandalf would be able to find them. He knew their destination anyway. Thorin instructed Bofur to take the first watch, probably not noticing Victoria hadn't entered the cave.

Two hours passed, Victoria could hear the dwarves snoring every once in a while over the thunder of the storm.

"Where do you think you're going?" Victoria heard Bofur ask someone.

"Back to Rivendell," Bilbo answered softly.

"No, no, you can't turn back now, eh? You're part of the company. You're one of us."

"I am not though, am I?" Bilbo asked. "Thorin said I should never have come and he was right. I'm not a Took, I'm a Baggins. I don't know what I was thinking. I should have never run out my door."

Bofur said, "You're homesick. I understand."

What Bilbo said next was so low Victoria couldn't hear it over the storm. And Bofur's reply was drowned out by lightning. But she did her Bofur ask, "What's that?" then the sound of Bilbo drawing his dagger and Thorin shouting, "Wake up! Wake up!"

Victoria raised from her chair drawing sword and wand and moved inside to see the floor of the cave swing down in sections on hinges, dropping the dwarves and the hobbit down into the unknown before the sections swung back up into place.

"What the hell?" Victoria said aloud before pointing the Elder Wand and firing three Expulso's into the floor in the middle of the cave. The blast were enough to create a hole big enough to jump down through.

"Well, here going nothing." Victoria felt like second year, jumping down the entrance to the Chamber. Casting a Cushioning Charm on herself, she jump down into the black.

* * *

Victoria landed on her feet in what looked like half a metal cage after a wicked fun slide down. Probably better for her with the Cushioning Charm, but whatever. She drew out her cloak and covered herself looking around.

Most of the dwarves were being herded by goblins down a wooden path. Bilbo had managed to sneak to the back and was stalking after the pack before being attacked by a lone goblin. Victoria rushed to help but by the time she got a clear shot, both goblin and Bilbo careened over the edge. Running and dropping to her knees at the edge, with tears in her eyes, Victoria shouted, "Leviosa! Arresto Momentum! Accio Bilbo!"

None of the spells worked, Bilbo had already fallen to far. She had failed him. Anger built in her, barely kept in check by Vilya. 'I may have lost Bilbo, but the others are still within my ability to help,' she thought to herself.

Pulling her invisibility cloak tight around her, she crept forward after silencing her feet. For ten minutes she moved as quickly as she could over wooden paths and bridges before coming to a big open cavern with a large wooden platform in the center. A goblin as big the trolls they faced earlier sat on a throne of wood and bone. As Victoria continued creeping forward, the true scale of this 'city' came to the front of her mind. This place could host tens of thousands with wooden walkways snaking everywhere and wooden platforms covering almost all the interior walls.

Victoria heard the giant goblin call out so all the assembled goblins could hear, "Bring up the mangler! Bring up the bonecrusher!" As the Goblin-King began to sing a horrendous and gory song, Victoria saw a grey figure holding a sword and staff across the cavern from her. She immediately knew who it was but was not prepared for the flash of light and wave of force Gandalf unleashed. Luckily the magic only knocked down the goblins, as Victoria took careful aim and started banishing the dwarves' weapons to them.

"Stand up. Fight. Fight!" Gandalf shout. The dwarves easily dispatched the goblins nearby with their weapons at hand. Gandalf moved forward onto the center platfrom swinging staff and sword with an agility Victoria did not know he possessed.

Victoria ripped off her cloak, stuffing it into her robes with her wand hand, before casting Confringo curses at the platforms along the cavern walls.

"He wields the Goblin-Cleaver, the blade that sliced a thousand necks," she heard the Goblin-King shout. "And she wields the Foe-Hammer, the Beater, bright as daylight!"

In between trying to blast as many goblins off the walls as she could, she saw Gandalf swing Orcrist to meet a blow from the staff the Goblin-King carried. As sword met staff, Orcrist pulsed and the Goblin-King was sent flying over the edge of the platform, hopefully to his death. Victoria began firing Snape's Cutting Curse at the goblins remaining on the center platform as she slowly made her way to it.

"Follow me. Quickly!" Gandalf said to the dwarves and Victoria watched as Gandalf led them away from her position. Stopping her assault on the goblins, she cast a Tracer Charm on Thorin before he was too far away and then continued with the Blasting Curses. When she finally reached the center platform, only goblin corpses remained as all the others still alive gave chase to the company. But there was still many goblins on the walls watching the Black Wizard with the sword shining pale white, and if she heard correctly, some goblins climbing up from below the platform. 'This place needs to be destroyed,' she thought to herself, casting Incendio at a couple wooden pathways.

After half a dozen Fire Charms, Victoria found herself surrounded by the goblin that climbed up onto the platform. The first three to charge her received blue flames in the face, and taking a cue for Dumbledore in the Inferi Cave, she brought her wand over her head without canceling the spell and sweep it around in a circle. Victoria was now surrounded by blue flames and burning goblins. Only about a dozen goblin were caught in the fire, another dozen were slowly backing away from the flames.

"Confringo!" Victoria shouted at the retreating goblins over and over until she felt the Tracer Charm on Thorin about to reach its limit and spun and disapparated to Thorin's location.

Fortunately, Thorin and company had exited the cave and Victoria appeared about two feet off the ground not far from the cave exit.

As Victoria moved toward the cave exit, she could have sworn she felt something brush passed her, but her mind quickly returned to destroying the Goblin-town. She didn't particularly like using this spell, but it would be the most effective.

Walking a few steps into the cave again, Victoria thought of Bilbo falling down into the abyss as she held the Elder Wand aloft shouting, "Fiendfyre!" A wave of dark magical fire poured from her wand tip like liquid, rushing down the passage. Victoria could see birds the size of her eagle patronus rise out of the liquid fire only to crash back into it. Hoping to insure the notoriously dangerous fire didn't rebound on her or the company, she brandished her wand like a whip thinking, 'Ventus." The Wind Charm burst from her wand as she felt Vilya pulse with magic. The wind met the back end of the fire and pushed it further down in the caves. Victoria knew the Fiendfyre would burn until there was nothing left to burn.

Victoria exited the cave to see the company grouped together about a hundred feet from her, down a slope. Apparating down to the group, she heard Gandalf taking a head count.

"Where's Bilbo? Where's our hobbit?" asked Gandalf frantically.

"I'll tell you what happened. Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it. He has thought of his soft bed and his warm hearth..." Thorin began, angry.

"No," Victoria said softly, but her tone was grave enough for all to turn and look at her. "I followed you all down into the caverns after I blasted a hole in the floor. I saw Bilbo sneak to the back and draw his dagger to creep after you and presumably help. But he was attacked by a goblin and fell over the side with the goblin on his back. I don't think he could have survived the fall."

Thorin looked down, ashamed of assuming the hobbit had abandoned them. The rest hung their heads, mourning their new friend.

"No," said a voice from behind them. "I am fine." All turned to see Bilbo, covered in dirt, but otherwise uninjured.

"Bilbo Baggins," said Gandalf with a smile, moving forward. "I've never been so glad to see anyone in my life."

Victoria swept the tears from her eyes and put a hand on Bilbo's shoulder. "How did you survive that fall, my little friend? And that fire I unleashed?"

"I fell onto a patch of large mushrooms and I must have made it outside before this fire you mentioned," Bilbo answered simply. Victoria thought she saw the shadow of a lie on his face but was just too happy to see him alive.

"Bilbo, we'd given you up," Kili said, smiling at Bilbo's luck.

"How on earth did you get past the goblins?" asked Fili.

"How, indeed," muttered Dwalin. Bilbo just gave an unconvincing chuckle at the questions and didn't move to answer them.

"Well, what does it matter? He's back," Gandalf stated with a nod.

"It matters," Thorin said, "I want to know. Why did you come back?"

"Look, I know you doubted me, you always have. And you right, I often think of Bag End. I miss my books and my armchair and my garden. See, that's where I belong. That's home. And that's why I came back. Because you don't have one. A home. It was taken from you. But I will help you take it back if I can."

Bilbo's words warmed Victoria's heart and she stood there and pondered them for a moment. Was she doing this to help the dwarves, or for the adventure, or the challenge? Probably a bit of all three, but mostly helping the dwarves.

Suddenly she felt something that had grown foreign to her, exhaustion. The Fiendfyre was dark magic, not just a little grey like Sectumsempra, but dark. And Victoria found while casting that she couldn't put any of Arda's magic into the spell. Casting that spell and all the rest in the cave had drained her own core by half in her desire to destroy that town and the ambient magic was rushing to fill the emptiness, but it was a slow process.

She wasn't at full strength at the moment, but it would have to do because the growl of a warg was heard clearly by the company. Thorin and Gandalf mentioned something about fire and a frying pan, but Victoria was trying to gather what she could of her power and to think of a plan.

When no plan readily presented itself, she followed Gandalf's shouted advice to run. Downward they ran on the slope with the howls and thumping of paws on the ground behind them. They ran for thirty seconds before the wargs caught up, two jumping off a rock ledge over Victoria and Bilbo. The two wargs turned and charged at them. Victoria cracked her wand like a whip thinking, 'Ventus.' The warg that chose to charge at her flew off the ground and over the edge of the slope they were running down, to its death. That's when she realized they were running to a dead end. Victoria didn't like the idea of fighting with a fall to the death at their backs, but she trusted Gandalf had a plan and she trusted her own resourcefulness. Looking over, she saw Bilbo barely manage to pull his dagger from the head of the dead warg. Giving him a smile of encouragement, she pulled him further down the slope as Thorin and Dwalin killed a warg each.

The party reached the end of the slope to see a long fall should one stumble over. After a minute to catch their breath, Victoria looked around. The slope they were on was narrow and to her that meant defensible.

Turning to the company she shouted, "We make our stand here. I will make a line a fire between us and them. Gandalf and I will be in front with Thorin and Dwalin to our side. Kili, climb a tree and don't stop firing arrows. The rest of you form a line behind the four of us with the oldest slightly in the back and take down anything that makes it past us."

Looking over, she saw Gandalf apparently in deep conversation with a butterfly. "Are you listening, Gandalf?"

"Huh? Oh, yes. Brilliant plan," Gandalf said, moving into position.

Seeing Kili had already climbed the last tree on the slope, she conjured a quiver full of arrows used by the elves of Rivendell next to him on the branch. It was the only type of arrow she felt she had seen enough to be comfortable to conjure. Getting into position herself, Gandalf was several steps away to her right and Thorin beyond him. Dwalin stood just a step behind and to her left. The rest of the company, minus Kili, formed a wall behind the wizards eleven wide.

Victoria waved the Elder Wand in a horizontal arc in front of her, letting out a jet of Bluebell Flames, covering from one edge to the other. She even managed to catch a couple far away trees on fire.

Orcrist and Glamdring began to glow pale white and Victoria noticed Bilbo's dagger start to glow bright blue behind them. 'That dagger is not very stealthy,' she thought as she saw the first warg jump through the blue flames followed by half a dozen more. Gandalf jabbed his staff forward sending out a wave of force, sending two wargs stumbling that Thorin and Gandalf quickly killed. Victoria stabbed her wand toward two wargs charging her down, a lance of electrical energy blasting forth and impacting in between them. The ground exploded, send rock shrapnel into the wargs and blasting them into the air sideways. Dwalin smashed the warg that got the closest to them across the face with his war hammer, denting the beast's head in and sending it to the ground, unlikely to get up. Victoria slashed her wand horizontally over Dwalin's head thinking, "Sectumsempra," killing the sixth warg while it was in a mid-air leap. In the corner of her eye she saw both Gandalf and Thorin finish off the seventh with their swords.

"Incendio," Victoria shouted three times over the blue flames, trying to build up more fire. She saw Gandalf raise his staff and sword into the air and mutter something in elvish she couldn't make out. Suddenly the magical flames she produced, both normal and blue, rose higher into the air as if they found some new source of fuel.

"Take should keep them from overwhelming us completely," Gandalf said, taking deep breaths.

"Yeah, nice work. But don't overextend yourself, old man. This fight isn't over."

"I could say the same to you, Victoria. You're not looking exactly at the peak of strength."

Victoria gave him a cheeky smile saying, "Obviously no one ever taught you how you should speak to women. Never mention they aren't looking their best." She laughed mentally at her own joke as five more wargs jumped over the flames, all five coming through burnt and moving slower than the first. Both Victoria and Gandalf refrained from using magic as Kili killed two from above and Dwalin and Thorin took the lead on the ground. Five more dead wargs joined the others in short order.

Victoria was beginning to feel like they might be alright, until she saw close to fifty orcs riding wargs through her magic fire. One orc stood above the rest with his warg standing on a flat boulder. His warg's fur was white and his skin was as pale as milk. He was missing an arm, a crude hooked hand in place of the lost appendage.

"Azog," Thorin said with hatred laced in his voice, "It cannot be."

Azog shouted something in what sounded like an evil, corrupted form of elvish, pointed his large mace at Thorin. Azog gave a yell and the orc riders charged forward. Ten riders were the first wave to jump through the fire and Victoria jabbed her wand forward three times, letting loose bolts of lightning, killing both orc and wargs. Two more wargs fell quickly to Kili's arrows. Their riders were dispatch with haste by Gandalf and Thorin.

Dwalin had remained in front of Victoria and brought is his hammer back and to the right. Suddenly he left loose with a power sweeping strike from right to left, knocking two wargs with their riders off the cliff. Victoria thrust Glamdring out into the head of an oncoming warg, using her wand the blast the rider thirty feet into the air. She gazed over at the line of fire again to see fifteen more rider leap over. And they hadn't even finished off the first wave.

"I don't think we can hold out much longer," she shouted at Gandalf as he and Thorin killed another orc and warg. Dwalin and Kili's arrow downed the last of the first wave.

"Do not give up hope, my dear wizard," Gandalf said, unleashing another wave of force at the changing wargs. "Help may still come."

'What help?' Victoria wondered to herself.

And so they fought on, Victoria sure that she would have fallen long ago if Dwalin wasn't by her side and Kili wasn't raining down arrows. She noticed Azog looked ready to join the battle as the odds looked to be in his favor. Deciding she couldn't have that, Victoria aimed her wand at Azog shouting, "Expulso." Blue light arced from her wand, racing at the pale orc. At the last second, Azog jerked the reins of his warg to the left and it jumped down off the boulder, Victoria's spell flying into a tree behind the orcs, exploding is a shower of wood shards. 'Just my luck I finally meet an orc smart enough to dodge my spells and it's him,' Victoria though to herself. 'Fine, lets try this a different way.'

Aiming her wand at Azog's white warg she thought, 'Confundo.' The Condundus Charm produced no light, so the spell hit without fail. Next she thought, 'Oppungno,' again casting a jinx that produced no light. Azog's warg, upon being hit by the second spell, leapt at the closest orc rider and ripped its throat out. Satisfied Azog's warg would be unresponsive and a distraction for them, she turned back to the battle.

Kili's arrows took down wargs after wargs and Dwalin or Thorin would finish off the rider as Victoria and Gandalf moved purposefully around the battle field, swinging their glowing swords and letting off spells. But they were still being pushed back, and Fili and Gloin had moved forward to help secure the front line.

Looking up, Victoria saw Azog dismounted and moving right for Thorin. Thorin blocked the first blow of Azog's mace with his reinforced oaken shield but the second sent him flying backwards. Victoria turned to start firing spells when a large shadow passed over her. Suddenly the air was filled with giant birds.

The eagles had come. Victoria watched in amazement as the giant eagles swept down, picking up orcs and wargs, and dropping them over the edge. One eagle flew down and hovered, flapping his wings vigorously, fanning the flames. Azog, seeing his forces outmatched, knocked a nearby orc from his warg, mounted it, and rode off.

Even with over a dozen eagles for back-up, a few riders still tried to attack the company. Victoria was still unleashing cutting curse, after lightning bolt, after blasting curse. She felt the strain of battle sweep through her. Stumbling towards Thorin's prone body, Victoria was glad to see him still breathing. Exhaustion took her and she fell to the ground, her gaze on Gandalf still fighting off the stragglers.

The last thing she saw before her eyes closed was Bilbo standing over Thorin protecting him from an orc as a giant pair of talons gently lifted her off the ground.

* * *

A/N: I changed how the words are ordered in the translation of Glamdring's runes, just cause I think it flows better.


	6. Chapter 6

"_Italics_" - Elvish, Sindarin

'Normal' -thoughts to one's self

'_Italics_' - thought speak (thought speak only applies with Galadriel)

A/N: I do not own Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, or The Hobbit.

* * *

Victoria awoke with a gasp. Turning around frantically, she found that she was on the top peak of a rock tower on a small island. She would have continued to freak out if it wasn't for the sight of Thorin up and hugging Bilbo and the dwarves cheering. It was Bofur who finally caught sight of Victoria resting up on her elbows.

"Hey! Our Lady Wizard has awaken as well!" he cried. Victoria dragged herself off the ground as she heard Thorin say to Bilbo, "I'm sorry I doubted you."

Looking around, she found both the Elder Wand and Glamdring laying beside her. Victoria wondered if she held them tight while unconscious or if the eagle that surely carried her here also thought to pick them up as well. Thankful to still have her tools, she sheathed her sword and started repairing and cleaning her armor and robes. Satisfied, Victoria watched the giant eagles fly away until she noticed something catch Thorin's eye in the distance behind her.

Turning, she and the rest of the company moved toward the northeast edge of the peak. Far off, beyond Mirkwood, behind sparse clouds in the light of the dawning sun, stood the Lonely Mountain.

"Is that what I think it is?" asked Bilbo. "Erebor," replied Gandalf, "the last of the the great Dwarf kingdoms of Middle Earth."

"Our home." Thorin gazed longingly at the mountain.

"A raven!" called Oin. "The birds are returning to the mountain."

"Again with the birds, too bad we can't fly after it," Victoria stated sarcastically but also missing her Firebolt broomstick.

"That my dear Oin, is a thrush," said Gandalf, as the party watched the bird fly off towards Mirkwood.

"But we'll take it as a sign, a good omen," Thorin said, smiling at Bilbo.

"You're right. I do believe the worst is behind us," Bilbo stated with a grateful sigh.

"Famous last words," Victoria muttered to herself.

* * *

Fortunately, someone had carved stone steps leading all the way down from the peak to the base, so the climb down went relatively smooth. Crossing the river that forked around the land and made it an island proved more difficult. As the company trudged out of the water, Victoria began drying everyone off with hot air from her wand.

For a day they traveled northeast through rocky terrain, only a few trees grew between the stones. As the sun started to fall, the party came to a clearing big enough to camp in, but Thorin asked Bilbo to scout the surrounding area from atop some nearby rocks. Not ten minutes later, Bilbo came back reporting the orcs led by Azog were still hunting them and something else was out there.

"What form did he take? Like a bear?" asked Gandalf gravely.

"Ye-Yes, but bigger. Much bigger," Bilbo answered.

"You knew about this beast?" Bofur asked.

Gandalf didn't answer and Victoria became lost in her own thoughts. 'Bigger than a bear? Gandalf used the word form. Are we talking werewolf-like or an animagus, perhaps?'

Gandalf's next words cut through her thoughts, "There is a house. It's not far from here, where we might take refuge."

"Whose house?" Thorin asked. "Are they friend or foe?"

"Neither," answered Gandalf, "he will help us, or he will kill us."

"You think this is wise, Gandalf?" Victoria asked dubiously.

"What choice do we have?" asked Thorin as a roar was heard in the distance.

"None," replied Gandalf.

* * *

Running through the night, the company finally came to some green flat fields, crossed in places by small streams. By midnight, they started seeing small wooded areas before coming upon a large house on a small hill. The house had fifteen foot walls overgrown with vines surrounding the house and the yard. Gandalf ushered them through the front gate, which was luckily open, as the largest bear Victoria had even seen burst out of the woods behind them. Running toward the door to the house, Victoria drew her wand and cast, "Alohomora." The metal lock across the door snapped up, allowing the dwarves crowding the door to fall through. Quickly, everyone made it inside as the dwarves turned to close the door, finding the bear trying to force its way in. "Colloportus," Victoria said, watching the door slam shut and the wooden beam fall into place across the door.

"That is the biggest bear I've ever seen. And did you all see how fast he moved?" asked Victoria.

"His name is Beorn. That is our host. And he's a skin-changer," Gandalf said, moving further into the house. "Sometimes he's a huge black bear. Sometimes he's a great strong man." Victoria looked around to see cows, chickens, and goats living inside the house as well.

"The bear is unpredictable, but the man can be reasoned with. However, he is not overfond of Dwarves," Gandalf continued warningly.

Taking his hat off, Gandalf said, "All right now, get some sleep, all of you. You'll be safe here tonight." Only Victoria heard him mutter, "I hope."

* * *

Victoria awoke to a crashing sound. Looking around, she saw Bilbo had knocked over some of the dwarves' weapons freaking out over some honeybees. Seeing the sun up and a few dwarves setting at the visible end of a table, looking to be readying for breakfast, Victoria pulled herself up and tried to shake the feeling into her arms and legs. Walking over, she saw all the dwarves setting at a long table eating, as a large man moved around the kitchen.

"So you are the second wizard Gandalf spoke of," the large shirtless man said. His hair was crazier than her's has been in her male body, and it seemed to run down his whole back.

"I am Victoria, the Black Wizard. At your service."

"I don't want your service," the man said gruffly, towering over her. "I'm Beorn."

As she sat down, Beorn put a plate of vegetables, nuts, and bread and a glass of milk in front of her. "Thank you," she said. A nod was her only reply.

"A black horse arrived in the night, I assume she belong to one of you?" asked Beorn, his gravely voice carrying across the room.

"It might be my horse, Luna. I'll check after I eat," Victoria responded, happy at the thought of having her companion back.

She ate her food while Thorin and Beorn discussed Azog and Beorn's people. Victoria's heart went out to the skin-changer, losing his people and being tortured for amusement.

"You need to reach the mountain before the last days of autumn?" Beorn asked.

"Before Durin's Day falls, yes," Gandalf confirmed.

"You are running out of time," responded Beorn.

"Yes, which is why we must go through Mirkwood. We will take the Elven Road, it is still safe," stated Gandalf.

"Safe?" questioned Beorn, "The wood elves of Mirkwood are not like there kin. They're less wise and more dangerous. But it matters not. These lands are crawling with orcs, and you are being hunted. Only one of you has a mount. You will never make it to the forest alive."

Here, Beorn stood up saying, "I don't like Dwarves. They're greedy and blind. But Orcs I hate more. What do you need?"

* * *

Victoria walked out into the sunlight, looking around the white and black horses, trying to find Luna. Her eyes caught sight of a black horse, whose coat shone almost blue in the sun. Walking forward, the horse turned and looked at her, and staring into those wide eyes, Victoria knew this was Luna.

Summoning an apple out of her pack, she walked up to Luna and offered her the fruit. "_I am glad to see you again, my friend._"

Quickly the dwarves packed and secured the blankets they were using for saddles onto the horses Beorn had lent them. Victoria conjured an elven-style saddle and bridle on Luna with a few waves of her wand and climbed up.

She heard Gandalf promise to let Beorn's horses go before entering Mirkwood. A crowing of a raven nearby set Gandalf on alert.

"We are being watched," he said.

"Yes," Beorn responded, "The orcs will not give up. They will hunt the dwarves until they are destroyed."

"Why now?" Gandalf questioned. "What has made Azog crawl from his hole?"

"There is an alliance between the Orcs of Moria and the sorcerer in Dol Guldur." Beorn voice was low when he said this, Victoria barely making it out.

"Are you sure of this?"

Victoria tuned out the rest, thinking of her map. Dol Guldur set in the forest, only a hundred miles or so from Lothlorien. If this sorcerer proved to be the dark lord everyone feared still alive, then Galadriel's realm was in danger.

"Victoria, Gandalf, time is wasting," called Thorin. Victoria led her horse toward the dwarves as Gandalf and Beorn had some last minute words.

Beorn's final words caught her ears, "Go, now, while you have the light. Your hunters are not far behind."

* * *

A day and a half of riding found the company in front of the Elven Gate, as Gandalf called it. Bilbo confessed the forest of Mirkwood felt sick, diseased, and Victoria couldn't blame him. Victoria just heard Gandalf shout to let the ponies loose so they could return when Galadriel called out in her mind.

'_Victoria._'

'_Merlin, you scare me when you do that_,' Victoria thought.

'_Something moves in the shadows unseen, hidden from our sight. Everyday it grows in strength. Beware the Necromancer. He is not what he seems_,' Galadriel said ominously.

'_If out Enemy has returned, we must know. Go with Gandalf to Dol Guldur. We must see for ourselves what darkness lurks there,'_ Galadriel continued.

'_I must go by myself, this company must reach the mountain in time. And I can sneak about better alone,'_ Victoria responded.

_'You are never alone, my dear Victoria.'_

Seeing all the horses run off, but Victoria still mounted, Bilbo asked, "Are you bringing your horse through the woods with us?"

"No, I am not," Victoria said softly.

"You're not leaving us are you?" asked Bilbo as the dwarves muttered amongst themselves.

"I would not leave if I didn't have to. I will meet up with you on the other side of the forest, hopefully."

"What path has the Lady Galadriel sent you on, Victoria?" asked Gandalf.

"I travel south to Dol Guldur. Galadriel fears the Enemy has returned," Victoria said turning Luna away. "Goodbye my friends, I'm sure Gandalf can lead you through the forest well enough without me. Good luck. Do not enter that mountain without me!"

Gently kicking her horse into a gallop, Victoria thoughts turned to spells to counter necromancy.

* * *

For six hours she rode until night fall, thinking. She never learnt the spell to repel ghost. Lupin had shown poltergeist could be repelled with chewing gum, or any object hurled at them, Victoria hoped. And inferi were weak to fire. She could do fire, she could do lightning better, but she could do fire. That was all she had come up with so far. Slowing her horse down to a trot, Victoria looked around for a good spot to camp. As her gaze swept over the forest, she saw something she didn't not expect to see again.

Prongs was standing just inside the woods, staring at her. Her heart skipped at beat, thinking this some sign from her parents, before her eyes took in the full sight.

This creature was merely a white-furred stag, beautiful, shining in the moonlight, but not her former patronus. As Victoria dismounted Luna, she kept her eyes on the white hart. The stag bowed his head and antlers slightly toward her, then nodded its head behind him. Victoria took it to mean 'follow,' so she did. Turning to Luna she said, "_Stay here please, my friend_," before walking toward the forest. When Victoria was twenty feet from the forest edge, the stag turned around and started walking into the woods.

Victoria walked into the darkness of Mirkwood at night. The moonlight radiated off the white deer fifteen feet in front of her now, leading her to Merlin knows where. As Victoria started to catch up to the stag, it took off at a run, slowly gaining speed as she gave chase. Lighting her wand, hoping to avoid any roots that might trip her up, she followed after the stag as best she could. After half an hour of running after this animal on no more than a feeling, Victoria saw the stag disappear behind a large tree trunk. Arriving at the tree, she looked around and found no sign of the deer. Pointing her lit wand at the ground revealed no tracks at all had been left.

'Waste of bloody time, last time I follow a hunch that fate was sending me a sign,' she thought to herself, turning back. But she stopped after two steps. A horrible clicking sound was coming from over a small hill in the forest. Drawing closer, Victoria began to hear the yells and movement of a battle. Cresting the hill, she canceled the Lumos Spell and took in the sight before her.

In a small clearing, a single elf was surrounded by four spiders big enough that they looked like they came from Aragog's brood. The elf, Victoria could now see was a woman, drew her last arrow, firing it at the spider charging her from the front. The arrow struck the spider between its many eyes, and it fell over dead. Pulling a long knive out as she dropped her bow, the elf spun around to drive the knife into the head of a spider trying to attack from behind.

All this happened in a few seconds, Victoria marveling at the elf's skill before pointing the Elder Wand at one of the remaining spiders, unleashing a blast of lightning. The spider fell dead and smoking after three seconds under the barrage of electricity. Focusing on the last spider, that happened to be between Victoria and the elf, she shouted, "Confringo."

The orange curse lit up the clearing as it rush to meet the backside of the spider, blowing its abdomen to pieces in a ball of fire. In the light of the brief flames, Victoria saw the elf-maiden was auburn-haired and gorgeous. Thinking of Arwen's words to her she muttered, "Accio," pointing her wand behind her with a half circle movement at her pack. Arwen's sword flew into her right hand. Sliding down the hill with grace she didn't know she had, Victoria tossed the sword to the female elf stating, "Swords don't run out of arrows."

The elf quickly sheathed her knife and caught the sword, deftly drawing it out. "This is a finely made sword. Where did you come by it?" By the time she finished with her question, she was already looking around for more adversaries.

"_It was given to me by Arwen of Rivendell. Are you expecting more spiders?_" asked Victoria.

The elf looked shocked for half a second before responding in elvish as well, "_Yes, more will come. They're growing bolder._"

At those words, more clicking could be heard descending from above. Looking up, both fighters on the ground saw four more huge spiders lowering themselves down on spider silk threads, trying to surround them both. Wizard and Elf moved back to back as Victoria drew Glamdring and pointed her wand up at the spider that would land in front of her. But Victoria had other plans as lightning blasted out of her wand tip, hitting the spider causing static to crackle all around it. The spider twitched and convulsed into a ball before falling thirty feet to the ground, its exoskeleton cracking on impact. Victoria felt ill looking at the black liquid ooze seeping out of the broken spider but was forced to set that aside as the other spiders hit the ground, one charging at her. These creatures were fast. It took all of Victoria's skill and training to dodge the swipes from the spider's front legs to get close enough to run Glamdring through its face. Yanking her sword free, Victoria turned to help the elf but found her to have already have dispatched the two others.

"_You are the Black Wizard_," the elf said, staring at her with grey eyes that looked very dark in the night.

"_How do you know that? You could guess I'm a magic user of a kind surely, but you know my title? How?_"

"_I recently came upon Radagast the Brown as I traveled south, he mentioned a new wizard had come. He could not recall your name, only Mithrandir referred to you as the Black Wizard. My name is Tauriel, a captain of the guard of the Woodland Kingdom_," the elf said, bowing her head.

"_Grab my arm, I will get us to safety, but I warn you. It will be uncomfortable,_" Victoria said quickly, hoping the elf would trust her before more spiders showed up.

The elf looked at her confused before sheathing Arwen's sword and taking Victoria's left arm with her right. Victoria gave a little spin, apparating to where she left Luna. Her faithful horse didn't even get startled at the sudden appearance of her rider and guest.

"Are you feeling all right after, uh, traveling like that?" asked Victoria.

"We traveled from one location to another in the blink of an eye!" the elf said in awe. "But I feel no discomfort."

'Stupid elves are good at everything, even side-along apparation,' Victoria thought to herself.

"Well I know your name, my name is Victoria. We are on the western edge of Mirkwood."

"Thank you for your assistance, Istari. I do not think I would be alive without your aid." Here Tauriel dropped her eyes to the ground. Victoria put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"My name is Victoria, none of this Master Wizard or Istari stuff," Victoria said, seeing a small smile on Tauriel's face. Backing up, Victoria continued on. "Why would the Woodland King send a guard captain on a solo patrol at night?"

At this question Tauriel stared into the forest, "The spiders encroach on our land daily. We drive them off, but they always return and with growing numbers. I know they pour forth from Dol Guldur. I asked King Thranduil to let me take my guardsmen to investigate but was forbidden. The threat was too much to go unchecked though, so I slipped out to see for myself where these monstrous spiders come from. But I was waylaid by too many and ran out of arrows. You know the rest, you where there to save me."

"_A bold move to defy a king_," Victoria said with a smile when Tauriel met her gaze. "As it happens, I was asked by the Lady of the Golden Wood to investigate Dol Guldur myself. You are welcome to join me."

"Lady Galadriel asked you? What do you expect to find there?" asked Tauriel.

"A great big spider's nest, a human sorcerer playing with magic outside his control, or maybe we will find a darkness more terrifying than anything else. I do not know. But I'm going to find out." At this Tauriel gave a yawn, which was weird. Victoria knew elves slept, but never saw them express anything but mild fatigue. Tauriel must have been fighting a long time before Victoria arrived.

Walking over to a large tree on the edge of the forest, Victoria conjured a mattress at the base of the tree big enough for them both and started warding the area. "You may want to get some sleep, I need to continue south at dawn if you want to accompany me."

Finished with the wards, Victoria set down on the mattress with her back against the tree. Tauriel looked dubious at the conjured mattress before following Victoria's lead and setting down against the tree.

"You can lay out if you wish to get more comfortable," Victoria said.

"Two sets of eyes are better to keep watch with, I'll be fine."

Victoria felt like arguing the point of her magical protections and the fact she was gonna keep watch for a while, but she let it slide. She gave Tauriel the occasional glance, seeing her slowly falling asleep, but mostly focused on the stars out tonight. The thought just struck her that none of the constellations she remembered existed here, when she felt Tauriel's head fall gently onto her right shoulder. Looking down, Victoria thought she looked stunning in the moonlight, and also looked to be in a very uncomfortable position. Casting a Cushioning Charm on the tree behind her and on Tauriel's head, hoping to make them both more comfortable. But her second spell was wasted as she looked down to see Tauriel's face now resting on her chest.

Victoria couldn't slow the beating of her heart as Arwen's teasing played through her mind. 'Nothing's set in stone. Arwen just saw us fighting together. Which we just did,' she thought to herself.

With her right arm trapped under Tauriel and deciding she wasn't getting any sleep soon, Victoria summoned Tauriel's quiver with her wand in her left hand and set to work on a complex bit of magic and a lot of tedious spells to take her mind off things while trying not to wake the elf laying next to her.

* * *

Victoria awoke when she felt a warmth leave her side and the mattress swift under the weight of someone moving. Opening her eyes, she saw Tauriel on her knees at the end of the mattress with a blush on her face. Victoria never had seen an elf blush before, even after a few embarrassing pranks she pulled on Arwen's behalf on her brothers. Victoria thought it looked adorable, but quickly shook her head to clear the thought.

"_Are you rested, Tauriel?_" asked Victoria hoping to break the awkward feeling starting to creep up in her. "_Enough to ride with me south?_"

"Yes, I am. Your magic bedding was very comfortable," Tauriel said, rising up to collect her things, and stopped looking around after not seeing her quiver.

"Oh," Victoria said, sensing Tauriel's confusion, she picked up the smaller quiver to her right. "I may have gotten, uh, bored, yes bored, last night and cast some magic on your quiver." Handing the quiver over, Tauriel looked at her old quiver. It was in the same shape and design as before but smaller, like an oversized drinking glass. She could just fit her whole hand inside if she tried, and the quiver was still empty. Well, she really couldn't tell if it was empty, the interior seems covered in shadows.

"I noticed you wore your quiver on your left side, so I shrunk it down. I also cast an expansion spell on the inside and conjured a bunch of arrows and put them inside. You should have a hard time running out now. There are close to three-hundred arrows inside. And I can keep adding more." Seeing Tauriel appear skeptical, she said, "Stick your hand in and see for yourself."

Tauriel cautiously reached her right hand into the darkness of her new quiver and felt the nocks and fletching of numerous arrows. She grabbed three arrows between her fingers and pulled them out, picking up her bow with her left hand. Firing all three arrows at a distance boulder in less than two seconds, Tauriel was surprised all three arrow flew true and hit the mark she had been aiming at.

"This is a truly a gift worthy of a better warrior than I, perhaps you should present it to Prince Legolas," Tauriel said, thinking back on the last few days she spent in the Elven Palace of Mirkwood.

"I gave it to you, and you should hold onto that sword," Victoria said, lifting Tauriel's chin with her right hand. "You are a very skilled fighter. And believe me when I say I've met a few of the best since I've arrived here." Victoria turned away to start vanishing and packing up her things, she didn't see Tauriel blush again.

"Who is Prince Legolas?" asked Victoria, wondering about the one elven stronghold she hadn't had much contact with.

"He is Thranduil's heir and a great friend of mine," Tauriel stated, with sadness in her eyes.

"Why does thinking of a friend make you sad, Tauriel?"

"The king spoke to me the day before I crept away. He thought Legolas was starting to grow affections for me. I doubt it is the truth, we are naught but friends. I do not prefer..." Here she paused for a second before saying, "But the king ordered me to distance myself from Legolas." Tauriel voice was solemn as she countinued, "Not that it will matter overmuch. The king will surely banish me for defying him, as you put it."

"After our business at Dol Guldur is over, you could always travel with me. Or make your home in Rivendell. Lord Elrond is a friend of mine, I'm sure things will work themselves out." Victoria hoped to help Tauriel in some way and thought they could at least be friends, but still didn't want to give away information about Erebor.

"_You have been too kind, Victoria. I don't know how to repay you._"

_"You are about to walk into a den of spiders and darkness with me, I think that is repayment enough."_

* * *

For four days, they rode south in the daylight and camped at night. Victoria was glad Luna seem to bear both women without tiring. At night, Tauriel would speak of herself and the Elves of Mirkwood. She was only six-hundred and twenty-three, young for an elf, but Victoria couldn't imagine living so long. She was shocked when she found out as a kid that some wizards lived to be two-hundred in her old world. She shed a few tears recounting her parents death at the hands of orcs. Tauriel, wise like the elves she had met so far, senses the world around them was changing for the dark. Unlike her king who sought to withdraw into the safety of his elven stronghold, Tauriel wanted to fight back against the darkness.

Victoria spoke of her times since arriving in Arda. Tauriel listened with fascination but asked about before her arrival. Deciding to risk the awkward questions, Victoria explained a brief version of her life before Middle Earth, even the fact she was born a man. Tauriel seems curious at that but nothing more, for which Victoria was grateful. She also spoke of Galadriel's fear of the ancient enemy returning, perhaps taking up residence at Dol Guldur. When asked, Tauriel gave a brief account of Sauron, the Dark Lord. Up until then, Victoria hadn't heard his name. Fear crossed Tauriel's face at the thought of meeting Sauron at the old fortress, but her face quickly changed to one of resolve and Victoria admired her bravery.

One night they even practiced sword fighting. Tauriel was proficient with long knives and deadly with a bow, but her training with a sword was lacking somewhat. Victoria was proud of herself for holding her own and winning half the rounds against an elven opponent with so many advantages, even if she couldn't keep up with Arwen the same way just yet.

Arriving at the southern parts of Mirkwood with a few more hours of sunlight left, Victoria allowed Tauriel to hop down off Luna from her position behind her and then dismounted herself. "From here, how long will it take to reach Dol Guldur on foot through the forest?" asked Victoria.

"Half a day. If we start now, we could make it a few hours after the sun has set."

"What do you think of going into the fortress at night? Or should we wait for daylight, Tauriel?"

"The moon will be full tonight, enough to see by, and stealth may not be a poor decision," Tauriel replied. Victoria drew out the Elder Wand and tapped herself on the temple, casting a mild Supersensory Charm on her eyes. After a few seconds, her eyesight sharpened. She hoped it would help her night vision.

"As good as plan as any, I think you may know the woods better than I. Would you mind leading?" asked Victoria. At Tauriel's nod, Victoria turned to Luna.

_"I do not know how long we will be. If we do not return in a reasonable amount of time, I want you to return to Rivendell."_

Luna looked back at her like she was stupid for suggesting such a thing. Victoria shook her head at the horse's antics and moved to follow Tauriel into the forest.

After thirty minutes of walking, Victoria's enhanced vision spotted spider webs high in the trees. Apparently Tauriel saw them as well.

"_Do not touch the webs if they get closer to the ground, they are all interconnected. It will draw all the spiders close by to us._"

To be honest, Victoria didn't understand what the pretty elf in front of her was saying. As they moved deeper into the forest, some strange magic started creeping past her very weak occulmency shields, making her mind dull and less than sober. Reaching forward, Victoria grabbed Tauriel's shoulder spinning her around.

"_Your pretty. Have I told you that yet?_"

Victoria smiled a goofy smile as Tauriel blushed. She wasn't prepared for Tauriel to slap her across the face and Vilya to pulse on her hand. Blue light weaved itself through her mental shields in her mind's eye.

"_You must gather your wits, Victoria. There is fell magic in the air. It will cloud your mind." _

Victoria's cheek stung, but her mind was clear again. "Yes, er, sorry. I'm fine now. Lets move on." She hoped Tauriel thought the redness creeping up on her face was from the slap and not embarrassment.

Another hour of walking, in silence, Victoria began to see webs reaching the ground. But no sign of any spiders. Maybe they were out hunting and not at home. Or maybe these were old webs and the spider didn't use Dol Guldur as a nest after all. Victoria would later be dissuaded of that last thought. When the moon had barely risen above the trees, the pair reached the clearing containing Dol Guldur. Cresting a hill as the woods ended to the west of the fortress, Victoria recalled the walk here. The webs continued to become denser as the moved closer to their destination. Now here, she could see the webs were thickest the way the came and to the north. Both directions an elf from Thranduil's kingdom or Lothlorien might come from to investigate. The spiders were a defense and a diversion for something darker going on in the abandoned fortress.

"_Do you have a plan, Victoria?_" asked Tauriel softly as they both crawled forward on their stomachs to survey the land. Victoria's first thought was to stand up and start firing Blasting Curses at fortress until it was razed to the ground, might take a while but it was a solid plan. It would certainly draw out whatever was in there. But Victoria quickly squashed that idea. There could be innocents held in the fortress, hostages or slaves. She couldn't bring herself to condemn them to death without going inside to look and perhaps help.

"_Well, I can't see anything moving in the place. There seems to be a path leading out to the south from the bottom levels. And there is a stone bridge leading to the upper levels to the northwest_," Victoria responded, trying to come up with a plan. "_We have two means to enter. We make our way down to the lower path or we cross bridge. I think the bridge would be the better option. I will cast a charm on both of us to make us invisible. We will sneak across the bridge and into the fortress. I think some concealment enchantments are in place. No point in protecting this ruin with all those spiders if there is not anything here. The problem is once I cast magic to counter any enchantment, my invisibility will drop. The spell on you should still hold. If anything is in the ruins, I will become its target. I will count on you to watch my back unseen._" Victoria did not want to risk her cloak in a battle where her opponents used swords. Images in her mind of her only family heirloom left being slashed to pieces causes her to rely on a spell instead.

"_With this new quiver, nothing should be able to reach you, unless the numbers inside are greater than even I suspect_," replied Tauriel resolutely.

_"This invisibility spell will feel like I cracked an egg open on top of your head. Sorry if it feels strange_." Victoria tapped the elf on top of the head, muttering the Disillusionment Charm. Slowly, Tauriel faded completely from sight.

"_Grab my hand before I cast it on myself. So we do not lose each other._" Victoria felt a warm, slender hand take a hold of her right hand as she stood up and twirled her wand around herself, casting the Disillusionment Charm again. Now both invisible, the pair skirted the forest walking north to reach the stone bridge. Hand in hand, they slowly made their way over the bridge.

Half way across Tauriel whispered, "_This feels like a trap._"

"Of course it's a trap," responded Victoria.

* * *

The abandoned fortress looked like something out of a child's nightmare. The roof had collapsed everywhere, long rusted chains ran a long the walls, torturous looking cages hung from some of those chains. And the bones, the bones where everywhere. They were scattered all over the floor and some seemed be fused to the walls. Only one tower still stood to the northeast, and Victoria was trying to make her way to it but this place was a labyrinth. Giving up on finding a way to the tower, Victoria reached a large open area with two walls collapsed, leading to a fatal fall. There was also a small bridge between the two ledges, leading across the fortress. Starting to get a feel for the concealment magic, Victoria decided to try and dispel it here. Letting go of Tauriel's hand she said, "_Get ready._"

Holding the Elder Wand aloft, she shouted, "Aparecium." Her wand tip glowed white for a second as the Disillusionment Charm wore off. She could feel the concealment weakening.

"Finite Incantatem!" Victoria shouted. Oddly, Vilya pulsed and the Counter Spell let out a blue light that shone in all directions from her wand tip. Nothing changed for a second before Victoria felt the entire concealment spell drop. The first thing she noticed was a big white orc with a big scary mace lunging right at her.

'Protego,' she thought, a blue circular shield appearing at her wand tip. As the mace impacted the shield, the magic pulsed sending Azog a half dozen steps backwards. Twenty orcs about half the size of the Defiler stood around Azog. As Victoria started backing up toward the pathway, she drew her sword and let loose a bolt of lightning at Azog. He seemed to expect this as he grabbed a smaller orc and threw it in the path of the lightning. What he didn't expect was the lightning to impact on the orc, killing him and throwing him back, knocking Azog off balance and over the left ledge. Victoria watched orcs beginning to fall to invisible arrows as she looked down to see Azog had merely fallen one level below and he was riding off on a warg. Bringing her attention back to the fight, she saw two orcs nock arrows and aim at her as the others slowly started toward her.

"Depulso," she muttered, sweeping her wand as the orcs loosed the arrows. Midway through their flight, the arrows stopped, turned around, and rocketed toward the orcs that shot them.

Aiming her wand at the closest orc, she twirled the tip around in a small circle before jabbing it forward muttering, "Sagittum." An arrow shot out of the tip with the _thum _of a bowstring, impaling the orc through the forehead.

Victoria only got off another three spells, before Tauriel had dropped the rest. Victoria thought this small skirmish was over until five orcs riding wargs came barreling around a corridor on the far end of the area from the pair.

The first orc and rider died to two invisible arrows fired together, and the second set were burned from the inside by lightning. No creature since Azog made it within fifteen feet of them.

_"You were right, my dear elf. This is too easy with you here, only once at the beginning did they even get close to us."_ Victoria turned to start down the bridge behind them and made it a few steps out on to it before an enormous entity made of pure shadow and black smoke erupted into existence out of nowhere.

"Of course, I could have spoken too soon."

* * *

A/N: Six chapters in and we finally meet up with Tauriel. I hope I wrote her interactions well enough. Feel free to share any advice. Sagittum is an incantation I made up for the Arrow-Shooting Spells Harry reads about being banned at Quidditch matches. Based on the constellation Sagitta which is latin for arrow. Sorry if the first half is mostly movie stuff but Victoria needed to hear some of that info.


	7. Chapter 7

"_Italics_" - Elvish, Sindarin

'Normal' -thoughts to one's self

'_Italics_' - thought speak (thought speak only applies with Galadriel)

A/N: I do not own Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, or The Hobbit.

* * *

"Ai, ai! The Dark Lord has come," Victoria heard Taurriel shriek just to her left.

"**I see you, little elf**," came a booming, reverberating voice out of the mass of blackness. Victoria could now see Tauriel's bow, nocked and aiming at the center of the shadow in her peripheral vision. 'Weird,' Victoria thought, 'Why did her invisibility drop?'

"**You are not like the others. Not sent from the West. Join me. Share in my dominion over Middle Earth."**

"Never," Victoria stated clearly, "I will never join you. And does that line work on anyone? Dark Lords don't share power."

"**There is no light that can stand against the darkness, Wizard**"

As the Dark Lord unleashed a wave of black tendrils and Tauriel let her arrow fly, time seemed to stand still for Victoria. She could feel an emotion she always felt when facing Voldemort, fear. Fear seeped into her body, adrenaline ready to start pumping, her heart and lungs preparing to work overtime, her muscles about to request more blood and oxygen from the rest of her body. Her body was a storm. But her mind, her mind was like the eye of a hurricane. Calm, centered, clear. 'How do I handle this?' she thought. 'What offense can I bring to bear against this thing? None that I can think off. Must go with defense.'

Tauriel's arrow flew harmlessly through the shadow entity as Victoria adopted her usually fighting stance of wand out front and sword to the side at the ready. Thinking of Professor Flitwick using a ward variant of the shield spell for dark magic before the Battle of Hogwarts, she thrust her wand forward, concentrating on keeping the ward small, like a spherical shield around her and Tauriel.

"Protego Horribilis," she shouted. Vilya and the tip of the Elder Wand glowed blue as the shield she envisioned enclosed around them before fading away, but she could still feel the magic there.

The smoky projections reached Victoria and Tauriel not seconds later, but were impeded as small azure blue shields began to appear in the path of every tendril. Victoria sensed her shield holding and only minimally drawing more magic from her. All sound seemed to fade away, and all Victoria could hear was the sound of her heart and Tauriel's beating fiercely. Sauron continued his assault for a few seconds before he drew all the dark magic back to him, unleashing it all at the front of her shield.

Victoria felt the shield beginning to fail as it drew more energy from her core. Again, the Dark Lord recalled his magic, and again he smashed it into the same spot. After the third time, Victoria began to feel hopelessness creep into her mind. She couldn't defeat this being. It was beyond her. Why not just give in? They would kill her, and it would be over.

She was jarred from her macabre thoughts when she felt Tauriel lay her hand over Victoria wand hand, still held aloft pouring energy into the shield.

"_Control your mind. The darkness will try to weaken you. You are stronger than it. Let me help you if I can_," Tauriel said, whispering into her left ear as her right arm came around Victoria's waist to lightly embrace her from behind.

Victoria could feel the light in Tauriel. The light she knew present in all elves. But she had never felt it before.

Power flowed anew into the protective ward around them. Victoria didn't know if Tauriel was lending her some strength or merely courage, but she was glad the elf captain was here with her. Two more barrages of dark energy were repelled by the shield.

Enraged, Sauron released a wave of dark energy as Victoria's field of view suddenly filled with fire. Unable to shield her eyes with wand and sword in hand, she watched as a figure clad in black armor, radiating dark power, walked into the center, serving as the pupil in a malicious fiery eye.

"_Do you have a plan, my dear wizard?_" Tauriel whispered again into her ear.

"I do. It's a very silly plan. But it's a plan."

"_I trust you, Victoria._"

"When I drop the shield and you see a bright white light, run. I'll follow you. Try to get us out of here." Victoria waited until the first new assault of black tendrils came, then as the dark magic drew back again, she dropped her shield and thought of times on the ride here she saw Tauriel's face when she blushed.

"Expecto Patronum!" Victoria shouted, waving the Elder Wand in a small circle with Tauriel's hand still on hers.

A bright, pure white eagle burst forth, sending spherical waves of light out in all directions. Victoria just had time to see the light waves battle against the tendrils when she felt Tauriel's hands release hers as they both took off running. After a minute, Victoria let out a sigh of relief when Sauron seemed to give no pursuit but she didn't stop. She wasn't planning on stopping until she could get out of this fortress and apparate away with Tauriel. The dark magics, now revealed, surrounding Dol Guldur gave her pause at the thought of apparation. Running by and around ruined sections of the floor and walls, Victoria could see glimpses into the lower levels as she moved past. Thousands, perhaps ten thousand, orcs and wargs looked to be readying to march out, presumably out the southern pass.

Tauriel led them into a small courtyard with a lot of stairs that led to broken pathways. It seemed to be a dead end, but Victoria was concentrating on the open view to the south she had. At the head of the marching orc army leaving the abandoned fortress stood a pale orc astride a white warg.

'Where are they going to attack?' she thought. 'And why now? They expected to kill me or at least capture if they expected me at all, so they aren't leaving because I found them. Erebor perhaps? But why an army for a group of thirteen dwarves who already have a dragon to contend with?'

Victoria's musing was cut short as she heard voices muttering in that dark, corrupted elvish the orcs used. Victoria and Tauriel moved toward the center of the courtyard, Tauriel securing her bow on her back and drawing Arwen's sword.

As the voices all around them seemed to start a second line of some dark poem, Victoria shouted out, "You know the creepy speech would be a lot creepier if I could understand it."

Nine spectral figures appeared on the landings of the broken pathways. The three in Victoria's field of vision were transparent with a lurking darkness in the distortions they made when you looked through them. And each were uniquely armored and armed. The three apparitions Victoria could see bore a spear, a long sword, and two one-handed swords.

"Will swords be of any use against ghost?" asked Tauriel.

"I think our swords will be," Victoria responded as she pointed her wand at the spear wielding wraith. 'Incendio,' she thought, and was both satisfied and horrified. As the creature caught on fire, it seemed to shatter and crack as its body convulsed and hit the ground. Victoria watched for a second as the ground began to crack underneath the ghost, collapsing the stairs and what little remained of a door on the landing at the top of the stairs.

She was bought out of her thoughts as the wraith with two swords charged at her. Victoria deftly blocked both attacked that came at her with Glamdring, pointing her wand at the creature and taking a step back said, "Expulso."

Blue light exploded on the wraiths chest, and the force sent it flying over the edge. Surely it would fall to its death or at least out of the battle. She was amazed when the figure of the wraith shifted in mid-air and reappeared on the broken platform he original stood on. 'Well, that didn't work. Lets see if Glamdring does," she thought, sliding under a mace larger than Azog's. Spinning around during the slide, she sprang up and drove her sword through the bull's head helmet of the mace wielding apparition. It gave off a horrible scream as it fell, dissolving the ground under it as it broke apart.

She had to keep moving. Looking around, Victoria saw Tauriel had the same idea. Use agility to their advantage. Victoria danced between two wraiths blocking their attacks with her sword, throwing the Bluebell Flame Spell in the face of one of them. The wraith dropped his weird three bladed staff as he fell dead, his imagine shifting about erratically.

Victoria brought the Elder Wand up thinking, "Protego," as the second wraith brought down an axe that would have cleaved her in two. As axe impacted on blue shield, she spun around and beheaded the wraith holding the axe with Glamdring.

Turning around and finding herself alone on that side of the platform, Victoria saw Tauriel engaged with a wraith wielding a long two-handed sword. Creeping up behind her, another wraith carrying a long club hoped to take her unawares.

"Incendio," Victoria shouted, righteous fury filling her once clear mind. The wraith behind Tauriel died in a inferno much larger than the first wraith did as Tauriel ran her sword through the chest of her opponent. They were alone again. Silence reigned. They both looked around for any other threats as the move toward one another.

As they met in the middle, Victoria stumbled and then felt Tauriel's hand around her waist, supporting her.

"_I felt that last wraith behind me to late. Thank you for saving me_," Tauriel said softly.

"_And let something happen to my new friend, never_," stated Victoria, giving her an exhausted smile. She was about to summon the Miruvor flask from her pack when in front of them the stairway and its broken door way on top exploded. A ball of flame took its place, the sinister eye had returned. In the center, Sauron stood, armored in shadow.

"**It has already begun. The East will fall. So shall rise the Kingdom of Angmar. The time of the Elves is over. The Age of the Orc has come.**"

As Sauron spoke, the nine wraiths reappeared in front of him and began floating forward.

"Expecto Patronum," Victoria muttered weakly, so weary she felt her grip on Glamdring slip and heard the sword hit the ground. White vapor shot from the Elder Wand, slowing the wraiths down and nothing more. Searching in her mind for a happy thought, she instinctively found Tauriel's left hand with her right.

"Expecto Patronum," she roared again, putting everything she had into the charm. A blazing white eagle blasted out of her wand, coming to a hovering stop in between Sauron and Victoria and Tauriel. The wraiths retreated back to the master, all letting out disconcerting hissing sounds.

More black energy poured from Sauron battling against the Patronus in the air. Victoria kept her wand aloft and pointed at the ethereal eagle, pulling what magic she could from Vilya.

After twenty seconds of Victoria trying to hold back the Dark Lord through shear force of will, her heart plummeted when she saw her Patronus starting to dim. Her legs gave out, bringing her to her knees, dragging Tauriel with her. She couldn't even hold her head up, all her strength going to holding her wand up.

**"You were a fool Wizard. To think you could in here and resist me alone."**

Fatigue was coming on too fast. She wouldn't be able to hold out much longer. She should have never invited Tauriel along to die with her. Several more twisted thoughts passed through her mind as she looked at the ground, waiting for her power to finally fail. Victoria did not expect to see a feminine bare foot, followed by a leg showing off the bottom of a white and silver elven dress in the corner of her eye.

"She is not alone."

Drawing the strength to look up, she saw Galadriel looking at the Dark Lord with pure loathing. Victoria was suddenly reminded of the times Dumbledore actually got angry. Hearing a sword unsheathed behind them, she turned to see Lord Elrond in bronze armor and Saruman the White.

Light seems to bend around Galadriel and be absorbed by her leaving her looking raven haired and skin with a blue tint. Her dress, once white and silver, turned blue and black.

She held up her right hand releasing pure white light, causing the nine wraith to shriek and disappear. When she spoke, Galadriel's voice came out warped and echoing.

"You have no power here, servant of Morgoth! You are nameless. Faceless. Formless. Go back to the shadows!"

As she spoke the last word, the light from her hand flared brighter still, and Galadriel won the contest of strength. The giant armored figure, wreathed in flame, was banished from the fortress by the Lady of the Golden Wood. He flew high and fast away from the ruin of the fortress leaving a burning glow in the clouds as Galadriel returned to her normal self and fell back into Elrond's waiting arms.

"_We were deceived,_" said Elrond.

Shaking slightly, Galadriel said, "The spirit of Sauron endured."

"And has been banished," stated Saruman, as if the matter was over.

Galadriel leaned against Elrond's chest saying, "He will flee into the East."

"Gondor should be warned. They must set a watch on the walls of Mordor," Elrond counselled.

"Without the Ring of Power, Sauron can never again hold dominion over Middle Earth."

"My Lord Saruman, he must be hunted down and destroyed once and for all," Elrond said with conviction.

"Look after the Lady Galadriel. Leave Sauron to me. The lady has spent much of her power. Take her to Lothlorien," Saruman replied to Elrond.

"No," Victoria said, gaining the attention of the Wise. She walked over as she took a sip of Miruvor and handed the flask to Galadriel.

"I'm going to need her help."

* * *

Saruman was indifferent to Victoria's plan and quickly left, presumably to prepare for the darkness to come.

Outside Dol Guldur, a Wizard and an Elf-witch stood in front of an Elf-lord and captain of the guard on the edge of the forest. Lightning poured forth from the Wizard, aimed at the only tower standing, as the Elf-witch tried to bring down the exterior walls. As the last support structure holding the tower up exploded in a clap of thunder, Galadriel brought all her power down on the walls, imploding them inward. The tower dropped into the center of the ruined fortress as the walls fell simultaneously, razing the structure to the ground. Tons of stone fell into the pits and caverns below the fortress.

Victoria and Galadriel both fell to their knees, looking out over the fallen stronghold of the Enemy. She turned to Galadriel, gasping for air, to see Galadriel breathing heavily too.

After she had calmed down and Galadriel caught her eye, Victoria smiled tiredly and said, "I've been here less than a year and already I've destroyed Goblin-town and Dol Guldur. Well, might have destroyed Goblin-town. Didn't go back to check. At this rate, evil will have no place to hide by the time I'm old and grey."

* * *

Galadriel left, too exhausted to saying anything other than farewell, with Lord Elrond, who nodded at Victoria with a kind smile and said, "Though I am loathed to admit it, giving you that _relic_ will be as if dropping a stone into smooth water, dark as they are. The ripples you cause are already being felt in Arda." Elrond's voice grew low as he went on, "Your actions will draw the wrong type of attention as well. Do be careful, my dear Wizard. Arwen would be crushed to lose you, as would I."

Victoria felt Tauriel come up to stand just behind her, "I will be as cautious as I can, but situations seem to spiral out of control in my presence."

She watched until Elrond escorted Galadriel away from the fallen fortress and out of sight.

"_We must make for Erebor. The dwarves will no doubt arrive soon at the mountain. Let's hope they merely find the keyhole and wait for me or we will arrive to find a dragon raging_," Victoria said, turning to Tauriel.

"_If Smaug is somehow slain, King Thranduil will likely march on the mountain in force. There are gems in Erebor he considers his. If your friends passed through the Woodland Palace, they would likely make a deal with the King for assistance with travel. With the dragon dead, Thranduil would unlikely expect the dwarves to keep their word._"

Victoria mentally scoffed at the idea of Thorin giving anything up to an Elf-king, but with Gandalf their, anything was possible. "_The army marched south out of the forest, we must head east and hope a marching army will move slower than we can run._" Well, running once out of the forest was really plan B in Victoria's mind. She was seriously considering apparating back to Luna and then trying to side-along apparate the horse to the eastern side of Mirkwood. But she was thinking over apparating with a horse in her mind.

"_I need to rest for a few hours, Tauriel. I am exhausted._"

"_You want to nap here? I can still feel a slight darkness radiating for the ruins_," Tauriel responded.

"Take my hand," Victoria said, holding out her right hand. Tauriel confused, gazed at it before taking in to her hand. She watched as Victoria drew a small circle in the air with her wand, and a now familiar white eagle sprang out of the tip and flew in lazy circles around the fallen rubble. "That should help. Wake me after midday, please," Victoria said turning around and falling into Tauriel's arms.

Tauriel, at first unsure what to do, scooped Victoria up into her arms bridal style and moved to a nearby tree to rest by. She glanced down at the powerful Wizard she held. So kind in life, so fierce in battle, and so wise beyond her years.

Sitting down against the tree with Victoria's head resting on her shoulder, Tauriel felt solace and warmth when she felt the Wizard's arm wrap around her in her sleep.

* * *

When the sun was highest in the sky, Tauriel stirred Victoria from sleep and was rewarded with a blush on Victoria's face at the position they awoke in. With nothing to vanish or clean up, Victoria merely cleaned herself up and motioned to Tauriel to lead them east.

Once past the thickest of the spider webs, Tauriel broke out into a run, leading them over roots and under branches like the graceful white hart that led Victoria to Tauriel. She tried to her best to keep up with Tauriel, but Victoria couldn't match her agility completely. After three hours, Victoria ran into a small clearing, devoid of webs, with Tauriel waiting for her to catch up.

Panting for air, Victoria shuffled forward and summoned the flask of Miruvor to take a sip. Judging by the weight, the flask only remained about half full. The run here and since they had stopped was silent. But away from the threat of spiders temporarily, Tauriel broke the silence.

"Do you mind if I ask you something, Victoria?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"_The spell you cast to summon the ethereal eagle. Why did you grasp my hand before casting it the last two time?_"

"The spell is the embodiment of a happy thought. It was used to repel dark creatures in my old world," Victoria said, looking at the ground, color rising on her cheeks. "When I took your hand, it was easier to concentrate on a happy thought. I noticed it when you laid your hand on mine in our battle against Sauron the first time."

Victoria looked up to see Tauriel turning away with a smile on her face.

* * *

For sixteen hours they ran east, then northeast. Victoria thought she would have to drink up more Miruvor, but she found herself not tiring as much as expected. She even got bored along the way and started vanishing the webs she and Tauriel encountered. Victoria hoped the spiders would scatter being leaderless and directionless, but if they didnt, she would come back to eradicate them.

They came out into a large clearing, lacking any trees. Tauriel said the region was known as the East Bight. Finally beginning to feel fatigued, Victoria looked to the east, off in the distance and was glad to see no orc army passing by. What she did see surprised her for all of a second before she realized she should have known. A black horse, with a red and orange sheen in the rays of the dawning sun.

"_What happen to stay and wait for me on the other side?"_ asked Victoria, smiling and walking up to Luna. Luna merely gazed at her as she threw her arms around the horse's neck, hugging her gently. "_Thank you for coming, my friend. Save me the trouble of using magic I have not tested to go get you. Would not want anything to happen to you,_" she whispered to Luna.

Victoria proceeded to feed and water her horse before walking back to Tauriel and summoning some food for them to eat as well. Looking over, she saw Tauriel sneaking glances at her. 'I wonder what that's about,' Victoria thought as she pulled out her map.

"You say we are here, at the East Bight?" she asked.

"Yes," Tauriel responded simply, looking over at where Victoria was indicating on the map.

"So we have about 300 miles between us and Erebor. That's about six days if we push Luna as long as she can go, not keeping her at galloping speed the whole time," Victoria said as she packed the map back up. "Would you mind driving first? I'm beat from that run through the woods."

"Driving?" asked Tauriel, confused.

"Er, I meant take the reins while I rest a bit behind you in the saddle."

"That is fine with me," replied the elf, turning to look the Wizard in the eyes.

"_When you said I could travel with you after we finish this business, is that offer still available?_" asked Tauriel, the closest Victoria had ever seen an elf to nervous.

"Yes of course, I would love to have you along," Victoria said with a bright smile. "I think Gandalf may have other things to do after all this is said and done. It would be nice to have a traveling partner."

"And what do you plan on trying to accomplish?" asked Tauriel.

"Gondor will be warned by Saruman. Hopefully they can keep a watch on Mordor. I think I will make my home in Rivendell and use my ability to travel from one place to another instantly to roam the regions north of the Shire, hunting for orcs and trolls. That ability is called apparation by the way. Maybe wander far enough north to Fornost, or even Angmar, see if anything too foul still inhabits those lands."

Tauriel sat to her right, with the sun shining through her hair. Victoria thought her beautiful as the elf said with a warm smile, "That is a worthy goal, though dangerous. I would be happy to accompany you."

"Lets go. We need to make it to the mountain as soon as possible," the Wizard said, packing everything away and walking over to Luna. She climbed atop Luna first before helping Tauriel up in front of her. Letting Tauriel take the reins, Victoria cast a Sticking Charm on the front of her leather armor before hugging Tauriel securely from behind.

* * *

Victoria didn't realize see had fallen asleep, but a jolt woke her from her slumber. Looking around the fast moving landscape, she noticed Tauriel had Luna at a gallop. The plan was to alternate between pushing her horse for speed and letting to walk a while so as to not wear her down. Victoria brought her wand out and cancelled the Sticking Charm on herself.

"Lets stop for half an hour and feed and water Luna," Victoria said, bringing her mouth close to Tauriel's ear to be heard. She watched in fascination as the elf's pointed ears reddened slightly as she brought the horse to a halt.

After they both dismounted, Victoria began duplicating apples and conjuring water in a large bowl for Luna. She added a few drops of Miruvor to the water. It was a few hours after sunset and Victoria meant to ride on through the night after this little break. She had probably slept about twelve hours while Tauriel steered the horse, and she felt refreshed for it. Not that horseback-sleeping was all the comfortable, but her magic seemed to be back at full.

Duplicating some turkey legs, cheese, and bread rolls for both her and Tauriel, Victoria passed the food over on conjured plates and sat down next to Tauriel on the ground.

"So tell me, living closer to Erebor than anyone I've met so far, what do you know of the dragon?" asked Victoria.

"All I know for sure is the beast destroyed the old city of Dale before forcing his way into the Lonely Mountain. The dwarves lost many before abandoning their home," responded Tauriel, cutting into the cheese with her knife.

"Is that all?" wondered Victoria. "Anything that may aid in the fight against it?"

"The Woodland Kingdom has trading arrangements with the people of Lake-town, the descendants of Dale. The lake people spoke sometimes of two different accounts of the fall of Dale. One story had Girion, the Lord of Dale, unsuccessfully trying to kill the dragon with a black arrow and missing. The other spoke of the black arrow hitting its mark and knocking away a single scale of the beast's stomach. In one, Girion is a hapless fool. In the other, he is a lamentable hero, only needing another shot with a black arrow. Another shot he never got the chance to take. Most believe he was the hapless fool." Tauriel finished off the rest of her plate of food.

As Victoria finished her food, she pondered what Tauriel said. Maybe the dragon had a weakness to exploit. A literal chink in the armor.

Seeing Victoria done as well, Tauriel asked, "I know we need to conserve our strength, but do you think we could trade light blows with our swords so I can improve my footwork while we wait?"

A bright smile lit up Victoria's face. "Sure."

* * *

Five days later found Victoria at the reins with Tauriel holding on to her from behind. Even with all the thoughts of imminent danger in her mind, the one thought at the forefront was the greedy hope that Tauriel never got her own horse and would always ride with her. She then felt guilty at the thought. Tauriel was a beautiful immortal being, while Arwen often said Victoria was beautiful as well, she was not immortal.

She felt the elf shift on the back of the saddle to look behind them. Turning back around, Tauriel's voice in her ear sent a shiver down Victoria's spine.

"Across the river, there are a pair of elven scouts a league behind that just emerged from the forest. If the Elven-king is sending out scouting parties again, he must mean to march on the mountain after the chaos has settled."

Tauriel and Victoria had crossed the River Running at the bridge of the Old Forest Road earlier that morning. Finally nearing their destination, she pushed Luna a little harder, hoping to make it to Lake-town a couple hours after sunset. They could be at Erebor by sunup at this rate, even if it cost her most of her elven Miruvor. The last light of Durin's day would already have passed, but she hoped her friends had made it and found the keyhole. With Gandalf there, it should be relatively easy. She hoped.

For hours they rode, the top of the Lonely Mountain always in view. As darkness fell around them, Victoria began to feel something swift in the wind.

Off in the distance, a horrible crash and warping of metal was heard. Victoria pushed Luna as hard as she could go, as she heard a terrible roar, undoubtedly made by a dragon. Finally they reaching the top of a hill overlooking the lake. Victoria pulled her wand out and tapped her left temple, casting the Supersensory Charm. Her vision sharpened and she gasp. Far off, she could see the ruins of Dale, but that wasn't what caught her interest. Behind the lost city, stood Erebor, with its front gate blasted wide open.

Victoria's ears picked up a sadistic voice on the wind to the northwest of the lake near the town. She hoped she misheard it.

"I am fire. I am death."

Out of the clouds above Lake-town, a black serpentine shadow appeared, flying straight toward the town on the water. Fire issued forth from the beast, covering a quarter of the town in liquid dragon fire.

"Oh, Merlin."

* * *

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites.


	8. Chapter 8

"_Italics_" - Elvish, Sindarin

'Normal' -thoughts to one's self

'_Italics_' - thought speak (thought speak only applies with Galadriel)

A/N: I do not own Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, or The Hobbit.

* * *

Victoria stared in shock as the now flaming Lake-town cast the dragon in bright firelight. Smaug was easily twice the size of the Hungarian Horntail she had faced off against in another life. Screams of fear and panic rolled across the lake.

The dragon seemed to revel in fear as well as destruction, flying low over the town, eliciting new waves of screams with each pass. Victoria jumped off Luna, leaving Tauriel in the saddle.

"You must leave the dragon to me. Help the survivors in Lake-town. Get them to the ruins of Dale," said Victoria, looking at the elf. Tauriel appeared conflicted leaving the Wizard's side, but she nodded her acquiescence. As Victoria turned back to gaze at the city, Smaug made a second pass over Lake-town, setting ablaze another swath of the city on the water with dragon's fire. With the Supersensory Charm still active, Victoria was looking for a suitable spot to apparate on the shore next to the town, when a conical beam of light shot forth from the north. The pure white light struck Smaug in his eyes while the dragon was making another pass over Lake-town.

The dragon seemed blinded for a second, flailing in the air to right itself. He almost crashed into the lake before his wings caught the air again, each beat of his wings bringing Smaug higher into the sky. Smaug let loose a roar after rising hundreds of feet off the ground, looking around for the person who would dare attack him.

Half way between the ruins of Dale and Lake-town on the western side of the River Running, rode Gandalf on a pale brown horse, the top of his staff shining bright in the darkness of night. As Smaug growled again and started flying toward Gandalf, Victoria noticed the distance between her and the other wizard. There was about twenty miles of unfamiliar territory and a river separating them. Even her enhanced eyesight didn't give her a clear enough view to risk apparating all the way there in one try.

'Might as well start making my way to certain doom,' thought Victoria as she apparated north about five miles.

* * *

'Well, that worked perfectly,' Gandalf thought to himself, glad to have gotten the dragon's attention. 'Now, exactly what was the next part of my plan?'

In the fiery glow given off by the half burning city, Gandalf could see Smaug quickly closing the distance between them. But Gandalf pushed his horse borrowed from Lake-town further on, confident he could devise a plan. Somewhere in the back of his mind, the hope that help would soon arrive also spurred him on.

Faster than Gandalf would have liked, Smaug swooped down to hover twenty feet above the ground in front of him. His wings flapped furiously, creating terrible gust of wind. Gandalf's horse unfortunately choose that moment to panic and reared straight up. The mount was quickly blown backwards, falling over and sending Gandalf tumbling to the ground. Gandalf hit the ground hard on his back, but was thankful to land on nothing but grass. With agility that belied his appearance, the Grey Wizard quickly pulled himself up and started backing away from the dragon that just descended to the ground with a giant tremor rocking the area upon landing.

Taking stock of the situation, Gandalf cursed himself for dropping his staff when he fell from the horse. His staff now laying next to the horse, who was still on the ground in obvious pain. 'It must have broken a leg or two in that fall.' The thought passed through his mind as he watched the dragon, now with all four legs on the ground, glaring at him over the fallen horse.

"Tell me Wizard, how do you now plan to challenge me?" Smaug asked in a sinister voice.

Gandalf could begin to see the belly of the beast start to glow red hot as a distant cracking sound was heard. And then another that deposited a black clad figure not more than a step in front of Gandalf and a little to his right. The image of a feminine hand holding a wand of dark wood and a sapphire ring told him who stood before him.

The Grey Wizard watched the Black sweep her wand horizontally at the fallen horse. Instantly, Gandalf's staff rose off the ground and flew into his waiting left hand.

As the dragon let loose a blast of flames at the pair, Gandalf heard Victoria shout, "Ventus." He saw Vilya flare bright blue as a gale of wind burst out of her wand. Dragon's fire met a torrent of air directly over the downed horse. The Wind Charm collided with the flame, halting it and pushing it off in all directions. The horse instantly caught fire, and its agonizing cries could be heard even over the roar of the battling elements overhead. The poor beast didn't die until a full minute later, after Smaug closed his mouth, ending the barrage of fire. Seeing the attack stop, Gandalf watched his fellow wizard drop the spell, but she kept her wand at the ready.

* * *

The fact that the dragon in front of her wore an evil grin as it looked her up and down, as if it was gauging her power and found her wanting, unnerved her to no end. No dragon she ever met was this intelligent. Granted she only ever met three dragons up close before and one was only a baby.

"And who are you little girl? I guess it matters not. I will melt to flesh from your bones and-"

"Expulso."

Blue light shot from the Elder Wand at great speed, impacting on the roof of the dragon's mouth with a brilliant azure explosion. The dragon closed its mouth and thrash his head side-to-side as if to deal with the pain. 'Of course, this wouldn't be as easy at the trolls,' Victoria thought.

"Don't you hate it when they talk to much?" asked Victoria over her shoulder to Gandalf. Gandalf merely moved to stand at her left side, staff at the ready.

"You wouldn't happen to have a plan would you, old man?"

"I was about to ask you that very question, my dear." Gandalf gave her a small smile she saw out of the corner of her eye.

"I've got something of a plan. More of an idea, really. I've heard an interesting rumor. Now, we just have to live long enough to see if it's true." Victoria saw Smaug had finally shook off the pain and moved to take them both out with a swipe of his tail. Gandalf took a step back as Victoria took a step forward, lining themselves up to defend against the attack. 'Protego,' thought Victoria as she slashed her wand in a upward motion just as she saw Gandalf jab to tip of his staff forward. Twin blue shield crackled into existence in front of the two. The dragon's tail impacted on the shields with tremendous gong sound that left Victoria's ears ringing for a second.

Her hearing cleared in time for her to hear Gandalf say, "Easier said than done."

* * *

"Poor souls," Thorin heard Balin mutter as the company stood on a rocky outcrop near Dale. The rest of the dwarves and Bilbo looked on as Lake-town burned. Gandalf had gave pursuit of the beast when it broke through the front gates. His heart told him he should be feeling sorrow at the lost of life. He should witness what his quest had brought down on the lake people. But he could not tear his eye's away from the mountain. All that gold inside. And the Arkenstone waiting to be found. His birthright returned at long last. Thorin could still picture the King's Jewel in his mind, adorning the top of Thror's throne.

"The dragon has met Gandalf in the open field." Thorin gave no heed to the hobbits words, all his thoughts consumed by treasure.

"Gandalf's horse has thrown him!" Bilbo all but shouted. This drew Thorin's attention.

'Idiot Wizard, he should have stayed with us,' he thought.

"Your eyes seem better than mine, Master Baggins. Tell us what you can see," Dwalin said.

"Something black just appeared right in front of Gandalf," Bilbo stated. "Oh my goodness, it's Victoria. She's come back!"

Suddenly, Thorin's mind lost it grip on the image of gold and jewel and was filled with the picture of Victoria smiling kindly at him. Like he was her hope. Her hope for a better future.

'No,' he thought furiously. 'The wealth of Erebor is my birthright. It belongs to me. Nobody else!"

* * *

Victoria was at a lost as to what to do. She needed time to search for the missing scale, if the dragon was indeed missing a scale. But she was the more mobile of the two wizards with her ability to apparate. Letting Gandalf be the distraction while she searched put the older wizard at risk. She dare not risk telling Gandalf about the scale for fear of Smaug overhearing. If the rumor was true, the dragon would know too much of their only hope. 'Nothing for it,' she thought as the dragon withdrew his tail.

"You go left, I'll go right. Try and get his attention. In my old world, a dragon's weak point was his eyes. Aim your spells at his eyes," Victoria whispered, starting to move off to the right in a wide circle around the dragon, not waiting to see if Gandalf complied or not. By the way the dragon's eyes were now dancing between two targets moving farther apart she guessed he had. She waited for Gandalf to make the first move as she drew out Glamdring. As the ringing of the sword leaving it sheath came to an end, Victoria saw a bright white light impact on the dragon's face. Whatever spell Gandalf used didn't do more than anger Smaug, but the dragon turned to face the Grey Wizard more fully, leaving his right side slightly exposed to Victoria. She found no missing scale as the dragon swept it tail at Gandalf again, the wizard deftly jumping backwards to barely avoid being hit. Victoria shot out another Expulso Curse at the eye visible to her on the dragon's face.

Her blue spell exploded directly on the dragon's eye just as Gandalf discharged another wave of power at Smaug's other eye. A brilliant light show of blue and white erupted around the dragon's head. Smaug reared back and roared into the sky, either from pain or frustration, Victoria didn't know. When all four legs of the dragon returned to the earth, she saw his face unmarred and angry.

Victoria watched the dragon glare at Gandalf with utter loathing as it opened its mouth. A burning glow emanated from the beast's mouth and stomach. As golden light peaked out from beneath the scales on the dragon's underbelly, Victoria saw it, the missing scale.

An inferno burst forth from Smaug's mouth as Victoria saw Gandalf slammed the end of his staff into the ground and Narya pulsed red on his hand. The river of flame seemed to part around Gandalf as Victoria threw her sword out into the air in front of her, point first.

"Depulso," she shouted, sweeping the Elder Wand in front of her. The Banishing Charm caught Glamdring as it began to fall to the ground and propelled it forward at great speed. The sword forged by the High Elves gave off a pale white reflection of moonlight as it arced through the air toward its target. Glamdring buried itself to the hilt into the dragon's hide exposed by the missing scale. The dragon's fire stopped immediately, Victoria saw in her peripheral vision. But the light still burned behind its eyes.

Victoria brought the Elder Wand in front of her, grasping it with both hands, as she unleashed everything she could at once into a bolt of lightning that struck Glamdring's hilt, still embedded in the dragon's side.

Night suddenly became day as the light given off out shown the moon. Vilya flared brighter than ever as Victoria pushed all the magic that she could into the electricity pouring out of her wand. The dragon's huge body twitched and writhed as raw power ran through it. The energy coming out of her was tremendous and she quickly felt her core depleting.

Smaug's head convulsed into view, howls of pain letting her know he wasn't dead yet. Storm clouds began to appear overhead, thunder starting to rumble over the fields.

Victoria was almost spent, but she could feel the power above her and reached out, trying to tap it. A new wave of ambient energy rushed into her core and out her wand.

Just as the dragon's body stiffened and the cruel fire behind its eyes grew dark, Victoria felt it. Her magic core was empty. Both dragon and wizard fell to the ground, landing simultaneously. Victoria landed on her back, looking up at the stars.

She drew in a breath.

'The stars are pretty tonight.'

She exhaled and took a second breath.

'The dragon is dead. That's all the matter.'

She inhaled her last breath as Gandalf's face swam into her view.

'I liked Gandalf. He was a nice man.'

As she exhaled, her eyes closed of their own accord and Smaug the Terrible claimed his last victim.

* * *

As the bright light faded away Ori asked, "What happened?"

"The dragon's fallen over. I see it." Bilbo looked out in awe. "It's dead. Smaug is dead."

Thorin felt a great weight lift off his heart. He barely heard Gloin remark about the birds returning to the mountain.

"Aye. Word will spread. Before long every soul in Middle Earth will know the dragon is dead!" Balin shouted.

Thorin's thought turned again to Erebor and its riches. He needed to secure the front gate. He needed to find the Arkenstone to summon the seven armies. Enemies from all around would try to take what was his.

"Wait!" Bilbo yelled. "Victoria's not getting up. Oh no. The way Gandalf's cradling her head. I think she's..." Bilbo was unable to finish as tears began to leak from his eyes.

All thoughts of the mountain flew from Thorin's mind. He rushed down the stone stairs, intending to find out if his loyal wizard friend was indeed dead.

* * *

Gandalf was confused. Confused and highly distraught. Everything he know about the race of Men told him Victoria was dead. Her heart did not beat. Her lungs did not draw breath. But he could sense it. Light shining dimly inside her. And the storm clouds overhead had not dispersed. On the contrary, they swirled about and continued to grow, taking up more of the night sky.

So Gandalf continued to sit there on his knees with the fallen wizard's head on his lap. He muttered every healing spell he knew in every language he could remember, to no avail. He was still whispering spells when the sun crept over the horizon. Gandalf might have thought the sight beautiful, the dawn light reflecting off the dark clouds above them if the situation weren't so sobering.

The wizard snapped to attention as he felt two things at once. He felt a dwarf draw close and he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He looked up to see the clouds beginning to form a vortex directly over the Black Wizard's body.

"Stay back!" Gandalf yelled as Thorin approached. The Grey Wizard backed away and ran to stand beside the dwarf.

A moment later, a bolt of lightning shot straight down out of the storm clouds, completely engulfing Victoria's body.

* * *

She didn't know how long she had been here. Seconds? Eons? But the view was nice. Way better than King's Cross Station. Planets, stars, and whole galaxies passed by her vision. At times event flashed before her. A spider bigger and definitely more evil the Aragog killing two beautiful trees. An elf on a flying boat killing a mighty dragon as war raged all around. A star-shaped paradise island flooded and sunk beneath the waves.

The only thought she had was she rather look at the stars again when she felt an almost familiar pull, like a portkey. But she really didn't have a navel to pull on at the moment was the last thing that passed through her consciousness before everything went black.

Black, then immediately blinding white. A few seconds passed before the light faded away and she removed her hand from before her eyes. realizing she had hands again.

Victoria instantly felt herself falling, but not very far as she landed on her feet gently on the ground. She surmised to had been floating a few feet off the ground. Looking around, she saw Gandalf and Thorin gazing at her with shock and relief. Gandalf schooled his features first and began walking toward her.

"I do not know whether to praise you and rant at you for your rash actions." The Grey Wizard face was set in a frown but Victoria saw the worry in his eyes.

"No time for planning, old man. Best plan we had. And I'm still alive." Victoria glanced over herself to find her body clean and her robes and armor in pristine condition.

"How do you feel?" Gandalf asked. "Your face has lost some of it's signs of worry and stress. You seem perfectly healthy. Odd considering I thought you dead."

Victoria felt better than ever. Reaching into her core she found herself fully charged with more of Arda's magic than ever. She could now feel that ambient magic running through her veins as well and could swear she heard the wind whisper soothing songs as the gusts passed by. Victoria had died and she came back different. She told Gandalf as much.

"I think," Gandalf said with an appraising eye, "that you have returned to us a little more like a Wizard of Middle-Earth."

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?" asked the raven haired wizard.

Gandalf smiled a wide, grandfatherly smile and said, "Did you know that I have not aged a day since arriving in Middle-Earth?"

"What? You don't mean..." Victoria's usually clear mind stumbled to put the pieces together. "But that would mean..."

"That would mean what, my dear?" asked the Grey Wizard kindly.

"Nothing!" she answered a bit too quickly. Victoria's mind had instantly went to the lovely image of Tauriel. If she no longer aged like Gandalf suggested then perhaps a future with the beautiful, intelligent elf was possible. She had even agreed to travel with Victoria when the quest came to an end. She thought that end would be with the dragon, but another army marched toward them still.

'What if Tauriel agreed to be your traveling companion just to fight against the darkness? What if she will only ever see you as a friend or ally?' The thoughts came unbidden in her mind. She would merely have to wait and see. See if Tauriel developed any romantic feelings. See if she would truly stop aging. Those were questions for another time, now lives still stood in the balance.

"This isn't over, Gandalf." Victoria patted the other wizard on the shoulder as she moved passed him to shout at Thorin.

"Where are the others?"

Thorin moved forward to meet her. "They are on an outcrop of rocks close to the ruins of Dale."

Turning to see that Gandalf had followed her, she spoke to both. "Go get them and meet me in front of the Gates of Erebor."

'Tauriel, the dragon is slain. Meet me in front of the mountain in two hours.' Victoria held this message in her mind along with the image of the beautiful elf as she said, "Expecto Patronum." A white eagle erupted from the Elder Wand and flew off toward the ruined city.

"And what pray tell will you be doing while we gather the others?" asked Gandalf, watching the white spell zoom off.

"Getting my sword out from under that very large, dead dragon," Victoria replied with a grin.

* * *

She was glad she sent those two away, saving herself some embarrassment. Dragon scales and hide, it seemed, were resistant to magic like her old world. Victoria found she couldn't just levitate the damn thing. Even with her Wind Charm at full blast, it took fifteen minutes to roll the dragon's corpse over enough to retrieve Glamdring.

"Accio," Victoria said, watching her sword fly gracefully into her hand. Vanishing the dragon's blood from the blade, she studied her sword. No streaks in the metal from the lightning she poured through it. No nicks in the edge from the battles she had been in. Truly a remarkable weapon to be unblemished after thousands of years.

Sheathing Glamdring, Victoria apparated closer to Dale so she could see Erebor's front gate. She didn't expect to see two riders already waiting there. One was clearly Tauriel riding Luna, the other a blonde male elf she guessed from this distance before apparating again.

Victoria appeared on the bridge in front of the gate, directly before the two elves. She was surprised to see the male elf's horse not startle in the slightest. Up close she could now see he was an elf, wearing clothes and armor like Tauriel's. He rode a horse of pure white, contrasting greatly next to the pure black Luna. On his back he wore a bow and quiver and dual long knives, again much like Tauriel before she began wearing Arwen's old sword.

As she turned her gaze to Tauriel, their eyes met and she couldn't help the swell of hope that shot through her and the smile on her face. 'Maybe,' she thought to herself. Victoria never wanted immortality before. But that was before she found someone she could perhaps see herself with forever.

Tauriel dismounted quickly and ran to the wizard, embracing her tightly. "_I saw what happened_," she whispered in Victoria's ear. "_My heart broke at the sight of you fallen._" Damn elves and their long distance eye sight.

"_I am still here. I promised we would go on adventures together, did I not?_" she whispered back. As they broke apart Victoria saw a smile form on Tauriel's face as she turned to the other elf.

"_This is Prince Legolas of the Woodland Realm and my dear friend_," Tauriel said, gesturing to the elf now stepping down off his horse.

An emotion flared through Victoria that she hadn't felt since she saw Ginny and Dean Thomas together. She quickly squashed her jealousy as the elf prince came out from behind the white horse.

"_It is a pleasure to meet you, Istari. To think I lived to see a dragon defeated. It was truly impressive_," Legolas said, holding out his hand so they could grasp forearms.

Victoria looked into his smiling face and gentle continuance and couldn't bring herself to dislike him. She reached forward and grasped his forearm and said, "The pleasure is mine. And please call me Victoria. Any friend of Tauriel's is a friend of mine."

As Legolas pulled back, he lost the gentleness she first witnessed. "I come bearing ill news. I followed the orc Bolg to Gundabad after he and his orc party gave up pursuit of Mithrandir and the dwarves." Victoria could see him bristle at the mention of dwarves. "Bolg now rides at the head of an army seven thousand strong. They march with a swarm of monstrous bats like a sea of locust overhead."

"When will they get here?" Victoria asked, dreading the answer.

"By noon, two days from now."

* * *

The trio sat quietly, each lost in their own minds while they waited on Mithrandir. 'They march in such force against us. Two wizards, thirteen dwarves, a hobbit, and whatever men and women are able to fight from the survivors of Lake-town. If they are even willing to fight. Do they expect us to hole up inside the mountain? They could lay siege to us with far fewer numbers. And who the hell needs bats to lay siege to a mountain. They must be expecting an army. Perhaps a dwarven army. Well, sorry to disappoint. More likely to get an elven army, if Thranduil's desire for those gems is enough to sway him to risk his people. But even that is not guaranteed.'

Victoria's head snapped up at the sound of someone approaching. Her gaze fell on Gandalf and the company. She stood and moved quickly toward them, giving Tauriel a gesture to stay back.

The company showered her with congratulations and well wishes that she was still alive after battling and killing a dragon. She took it all in stride and when that all died down she asked to speak with Thorin alone.

He accepted with a nod and the walked away from the gate. As they made it over the bridge, Victoria guessed they were out of ranged from even elf hearing. She stopped and turned toward her friend.

"Did you make a deal with the Elven King for passage through his land?" she asked, seeing his eye fill with hatred and disgust immediately.

"What of it?" he almost spat, giving her her answer.

"And the people of Lake-town, did you make any deals with them?"

Thorin's gaze lost the disgust but none of the hardness. "The wealth of the mountain in mine to protect. It is mine!"

"You made deals on the way to recovering that wealth."

"What choice did we have but to barter our birthright for weapons and food. To ransom our future in exchange for passage through a land we meant no harm. You call that a fair trade? Tell me, Victoria, the Dragonslayer, why should I honor such terms?" As he spoke with a snarl on his lips, Thorin grabbed the front of Victoria's robes, bringing them face to face.

"Because you gave them your word." Victoria tried to remain calm, but found it hard to see her friend so taken by greed.

"The gold is mine. Mine to protect! Mine to control!" Thorin yelled in her face.

Victoria brought her left hand up to cup Thorin's cheek. "Do you control the gold? Or does the gold control you?"

* * *

At Victoria's last words, Thorin felt himself swift for outside the mountain to inside the mountain, on top on piles of gold. He still held Victoria close to him with his hands. Try as him might, he couldn't let her go. And all the while she smiled that kind smile at him. So filled with hope. But he could find none. To his horror, the stack of gold began to melt around them, pooling below their feet. For a second, it appeared as if they were standing on a lake of liquid gold. Until a whirlpool began to form below them. Slowly they were both being pulled down into the molten gold lake.

Thorin struggled against the current, struggled to let go of Victoria, but could do neither. As they sank, Victoria still looked to him with light in her eyes. Until the gold reached their necks. Her face turn to one of utter disappointment as she looked at the dwarf and said, "You could have been so great." Thorin had no time to respond as the gold rose up to consume her beneath it. He let out a strangled yell of,"No!" before the gold devour him as well.

* * *

Thorin's grip on her robes hadn't lessen at all, but his eyes had gazed over and lost the hostility she had seen before. Victoria thought him lost inside his own mind. She was about to try to brake his hold on her when his eyes regained their sharpness and portrayed only horror. Thorin quickly let go, taking a step back and falling down on his knees.

"I am sorry," Thorin said through tears. "I have let my greed blind me."

"I know the power of magical treasure. And this gold seems to have the magic of a dragon's lust on it. There is nothing to forgive."

Thorin couldn't believe she was accepting his apology so easily until he looked up and saw that same smile filled with hope from his nightmarish vision.

"Now get up Thorin Oakenshield. We have two orc armies marching at us from the south and from the northwest. And we have an Elven King to appease because he has the only army that might help us near by."

As Victoria spoke, her smile dropped and her face became a mask of stone. "Needless to say, there is much to do."

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the longer than usual delay, and thank you for the reviews. The idea of a fem-harry killing Smaug with a solo version of Chrono and Frog's Dual Tech 'Spire' from _Chrono Trigger _was the idea that started me writing this story. I hope you all enjoyed it. Now I have to figure out how to make this whole large battle work, but I have some ideas. After the end of the Hobbit narrative, I think I'll have two chapter where Victoria and Tauriel go on missions a la _Shadows of Mordor _to the north of the Shire and explore their relationship. And those chapters will serve as an epilogue and that will be the end. Then I'll have to decided whether to carry this on into Lord of the Rings in another story.


	9. Chapter 9

"_Italics_" - Elvish, Sindarin

'Normal' -thoughts to one's self

'_Italics_' - thought speak (thought speak only applies with Galadriel)

A/N: I do not own Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, or The Hobbit.

* * *

Thirteen dwarves, one hobbit, two wizards, two elves, and a horse stood in a circle in front of the Lonely Mountain.

"So what's our first order of business?" asked Balin, kind of awkwardly.

"The Gates must be fortified. This mountain was hard-won. I would not see it taken by orcs," Thorin said calmly.

"Thorin, surely there are more pressing matters..." Gandalf started, but Victoria cut him off.

"He's right. The dwarves should start rebuilding the Gates. They should leave an entrance wide enough for two people to walk through. Although you should construct a way to quickly seal off the entry way. I'm going to have the survivors of Lake-town that can't fight move into the mountain. If we were fighting one army they might leave Dale alone, but with two armies the first that attacks us will likely split of some of its force to attack Dale. An attempt to make us divide our force to protect them. Then the second army would strike."

Victoria was looking at the ground the whole time she said that, and when no response came she looked up to find everyone looking at her.

"What? That's what I would do," Victoria stated, glaring around at everyone, absentmindedly petting Luna. 'Well, it's what Ron would've done.'

"That is probably what will happen if Dale remains their refuge. I agree, it would be wise to move the sick, the young, and the old into the mountain," Gandalf said, looking at Thorin as he spoke.

"What if these so-called sick try to steal the gold while we are risking our necks?" asked a dwarf, but Victoria was lost in her thoughts and didn't notice which dwarf.

"Let them. A share of it belongs to them regardless. I can handle a bit a thievery at present, with orcs bearing down on us. I can not handle the deaths of innocents," Thorin stated loudly. "Though we will check them all before they leave lest they try to pocket the Arkenstone." Thorin actually smiled a little as the dwarves laughed. The laughter brought Victoria from her thoughts in time to see Bilbo twitch a little at the mention of the King's Jewel.

"Another matter worth discussing is appeasing King Thranduil. I believe he will only support us if you pay the debt you previously agreed to Thorin," Gandalf said looking down at the dwarf next to him.

"The White Gems of Lasgalen, made into a beautiful necklace. I believe I know where they are in the mountain, if Smaug did not move them. I will find it so they may be given to the Elven King should he arrive. Is he going to arrive?" Thorin said, directing the last question at Victoria and Tauriel.

"With Smaug dead, he will march on the mountain to recover what he believes to be his. Whether on not he knows about the orcs, I can't say," Tauriel said.

"My father would have likely turned back if he knew two armies now march on the mountain," Legolas said, chipping in for the first time.

"I'm sorry to say but that's lucky for us. He will soon be surrounded and have no choice but to atleast fight his way out," said the Black Wizard. "I can cause a lot of damage while he fights his way out."

"Surely King Thranduil will not back down from such a large force so close to his own lands," Tauriel said. She was standing next to Victoria, and at some point had slid her arm through the Wizard's left arm, leaning slightly into her seeking solace. "Not when he marches in such strength. Not with two wizards here."

"Living behind high walls for a long time can make even the wisest overestimate their ability to keep the enemy out," said Gandalf as Legolas nodded along.

"Gandalf and I should go to the people inside Dale and convince them to make for the mountain. They probably saw us kill the dragon. They will trust us," Victoria said, feeling energized leaning against Tauriel. Orcs and bats headed their way, but Tauriel seemed to make her feel alive.

"Light the braziers on those two large statues. Let the people in Dale know we are alive. Gandalf and I will go see what state the people are in," Victoria said.

"We have much to do, a little time to do it. Let us all get to work!" shouted Gandalf, when no one had anything else to say, moving off, effectively breaking up the meeting.

Tauriel's hand found Victoria's and lightly squeezed it as she smiled and walked over to converse with Legolas. With a dreamy smile on her face, Victoria turned to catch up with Gandalf when Bilbo jumped in front of her, shoulders hunched. Like he was trying not to be seen. Victoria looked around and saw no one looking in their direction.

"What is it, Bilbo?" asked Victoria. She watched as he calmed himself before he continued.

"Victoria, if Thorin had the Arkenstone, if it were found, would it help?" asked Bilbo.

"Help, I don't know about help. That stone crowns all, but if any dwarves show up they would likely by loyal to Thorin anyway. They would accept him as the leader. But the stone can no longer hurt him. He has battled and overcame the sickness Smaug left over this treasure. He is the same Thorin we met in Bag End, only now he has more friends." Something about Bilbo's question had intrigued her since it left his mouth.

"You have the stone, don't you? You didn't know if it would drive him mad. You were protecting him," Victoria stated all at once, a huge smile on her face. She lunged at Bilbo lifting off the ground in a tremendous hug.

"It's true what Gandalf says, you hobbits truly are the best of us," Victoria said, setting Bilbo back on the ground, a blush prominent on his face. "Take the stone to him. Say you didn't want to reveal it while the dragon was still alive encase it drew his attention. A truth, but a half truth. He will also be grateful you didn't show it during a meeting with elves present. Are you okay with that? For what's to come, we do not need any loyalties shaken."

"Yes, that fine. Thank you, for understanding, I guess," Bilbo said, bowing his head in thanks.

"Anytime, my friend," Victoria said sweetly as she started walking toward Gandalf.

Victoria saw Gandalf waiting patiently, but somehow felt he had heard her talk with Bilbo and couldn't resist messing with him.

"Are you ready to go old man, feels like a life time I've been waiting on you," she shouted as Luna walked up next to her.

* * *

It took Bilbo half an hour to find Thorin. He was in a room covered in precious gems of all colors, but as Thorin moved through the room his gazed focused on a pile a pure white gems. Bilbo walked forward and saw Thorin reach into the pile and remove a beautiful necklace that seemed to shine with star light.

"Ah, Mr. Baggins, I need to speak with you," Thorin said, as Bilbo joined him.

"Let me go first," Bilbo said breathlessly as he drew the Arkenstone out of his coat pocket and presented it to Thorin. "I found this when we first entered the mountain. I thought to bring it out or talk about it would draw the dragon to it. But now that we are alone for a moment, it's time a fulfill my part in this quest."

Bilbo watched Thorin look down at the stone in awe and love. But when Thorin grabbed the jewel and set it aside to clasp him on both shoulders, Bilbo knew the love in Thorin's eye was for him.

"My greatest mistake was to ever doubt you. You will receive your fair share of the treasure and forever be welcome in my halls, Bilbo Baggins. A more loyal friend and companion a dwarf could not ask for," Thorin said, a kind look on his face.

As the both stepped back Bilbo asked, "What did you need to talk to me about?"

"I have a gift for you. And I have a favor to ask of you," Thorin said, reaching into a satchel at his side. To Bilbo, what he drew out looked like a fancy shirt made of shiny metal.

"You going to need this, if you plan to enter the battles to come," Thorin stated low and ominously. "Put it on." Bilbo looked at him skeptically but began to take of his overcoat.

"This vest is made of silver steel. Mithril it was called by my forebears," Thorin whispered, holding the shirt up. As Bilbo began to put it on Thorin continued, "No blade can pierce it."

"I look absurd. I'm not a warrior, I'm a hobbit."

"It is a gift. A token of our friendship," Thorin said, bowing his head slightly. "And now for the favor, my friend."

Bilbo watched as Thorin put the necklace in the same satchel the mithril coat came out of. He then took off the satchel and handed it to Bilbo.

"I need you to get this necklace to Victoria to bargain with the Elven King if he arrives. Once you meet with Victoria or Gandalf, if it appears the elves are not going to show up, return to the moutain will all haste. Unless either wizard has need of you, I want you safe inside the mountain, if safe can be found anywhere," Thorin said, staring off into nothing toward the end.

Bilbo threw his green overcoat over the mithril shirt and found he actually like the green on silver look. "Don't worry, I'll get the necklace to Dale. I need a nice run anyways. Prepare for the battle so to speak," Bilbo giggled nervously.

"Be careful, my friend. And if you are staying with the wizards, have Victoria send word."

"Send word?" asked Bilbo.

"Earlier, she sent off a spell of white light and later two elves where suddenly at our gates. I thought it a messenger spell," Thorin responded with a shrug.

"Sure, will do. Good bye, Thorin."

"Good bye, Bilbo."

* * *

Luna carried the two wizards swiftly to the ruined gates of Dale.

"Let us through," Gandalf shouted from in front of Victoria in the saddle. "Make way!"

Gandalf rode like he expected everyone just to jump out of their path. Victoria wouldn't have trusted one of the people to not be an idiot and freeze up at the sight of a large horse barreling down on them.

They entered a large courtyard when Gandalf pulled Luna to a stop. Looking around, Victoria saw the able bodied survivors had armed themselves somehow and we using the open space to train.

Both wizards dismounted, and Victoria felt comfortable leaving Luna to her own devices. Her faithful and insightful horse always show up when she was needed.

"Oi! You two! The pointy hats. Yes. You. We don't want no tramps, beggars, nor vagabonds here." Victoria leveled the mousy-faced man dressed all in black with a piercing glare, being instantly reminded of the rat, Pettigrew.

"Hey!" a man at practice stopped to look at two new arrival. "Those are the two wizards that kill the dragon!"

Suddenly every eye in the courtyard turned to Victoria and Gandalf. Victoria felt intense scrutiny for all of a second before loud cheers rose up. Both wizards were temporarily surrounded by people patting them on the back and asking to grasp hands with them. Victoria let this go on for about ten minutes before raised her wand into the air and letting off blue sparks. As the crowd backed up, Victoria tried to make her voice come out loud and clear.

"Thank you for your congratulations. I am glad many of you survived. I am also saddened many didn't. But now other threats approach because the mountain is seen as unguarded."

Gandalf, towering over the rude man who first spoke to them, leaned forward letting a little magic slip out, enhancing the shadows around the courtyard. His gaze was fierce when he asked, "Whose in charge here?"

"I am," answered a man dressed in a brown undershirt, a chain mail shirt, and a blue overcoat. He had black hair, a black mustache, and the beginnings of a beard.

"I am Bard, I was a ferryman and when the dragon attacked, and well, I rescued quite of few of the people here. They showed their gratitude by making me leader of this ruined place and desperate people."

Victoria was about to question how many wounded and how much food they had when her quidditch instincts picked up a shine of gold in her peripheral vision. Turning to the source she couldn't stop herself for being grateful to see the elves arriving, and with food, but she also felt guilty. Like she was now in Dumbledore's shoes. Playing the Grand Chessmaster, manipulating pieces around a board. How many elves would soon die because she didn't send off a patronus warning to the elves concerning the orc armies. She tried to shake these thoughts from her head. Tauriel, Gandalf, even Legolas thought Thranduil should commit his forces to this battle.

As dozens of elves glad in golden armor and armed with beautiful bows marched into Dale, a single elven-lord, rode a large elk through the elvish army. He wore regal dark clothes under armor polished like silver and a silver and black cloak.

"My lord Thranduil, we did not look to see you here," Bard said striding forward.

"I did!" called Victoria, with a smile on her face. Gandalf cast his eyes to ground and gave a sigh.

Thranduil stared bemused at the wizard before bringing his elk around to speak to Bard. "I heard you needed aid." With this said, Thranduil looked over at the elves still coming into the city. Now many large horse-drawn carts filled with food and drink were arriving.

Many of the survivors began to chatter amongst themselves excitedly as the made their way to the numerous carts. Provision were handed out to the starving people now inhabiting Dale with many a mutter of thanks to the helpful elves.

"Actually," Victoria said loudly, staring straight at Thranduil. "I need your army."

* * *

The elves were quick to construct an extravagant tent for their king. Gandalf, Victoria, and Bard all stood while Thranduil sat in a fancy wooden throne, looking smugly at each of them.

It was Bard who broke the silence first. "You have saved us with your provisions. I do not know how to thank you."

"Your gratitude is misplaced. I did not come on your behalf. I came to reclaim something of mine." Thranduil looked right at Gandalf when he said this, as if Thranduil's struggle for his gems was the Grey Wizards fault.

"I have spoken with Thorin. He will honor his deals. To both the elves and the people of Lake-town," Victoria said, almost knowing what the elf would say next.

"Somehow, I doubt that."

"Believe what you will. Thorin has overcame the curse on that gold. Dwarves are remarkably resilient. You will see when you meet him next."

"Enough," Gandalf said, pacing around. Finally he turned to Thranduil. "You must set aside your petty grievances with the dwarves. War is coming."

"What are you talking about?" asked Bard.

"Two armies of orcs and wargs march toward us as we speak. A force of ten thousand come at us from the south, having used Dol Guldur as their base. A second force of six thousand are coming from the west, from Gundabad," Victoria said solemnly.

"I can see you know nothing of wizards," Thranduil said, addressing Bard while raising from his wooden throne. "They are like winter thunder on a wild wind rolling in from the distance, breaking hard in alarm. But sometimes a storm is just a storm."

"Don't talk to me of storms," Victoria said omniously, and even she was surprised when static began to jump over her body, though she kept her glare directed at the Elven King. When the light show ended, she continued. "The word of the army marching from Gundabad came from your own son, Prince Legolas. Do you not trust him?"

"These orcs have been bred and trained for this war. Long did the enemy grow strong within Dol Guldur," Gandalf said.

Victoria looked over at Gandalf and wondered how he know so much without being told. If Thranduil was to become an ally, perhaps he needed to know Sauron, an enemy, the enemy that all free people had as a common threat was still alive. So she told the three others present of her meeting of Tauriel, their branding together to investigate Dol Guldur, their encounter with Azog and then Sauron himself. She spoke of their battle and victory over the nine wraiths before Sauron reappeared with the nine. And then Galadriel saving their ass. Though she didn't word it like that.

"You say Lord Elrond and Lady Galadriel both confirmed this dark entity to be the Dark Lord?" asked Thranduil, worry in his eyes for the first time.

"Yes, even Saruman the White knew that evil thing to be Sauron." Victoria wondered if she made that right call. Thranduil looked down right frightened if she was seeing behind his expressionless mask correctly. Maybe he would leave tonight and hope to make it home before encountering the orc army coming from the south. Maybe he would, as she said earlier, merely fight his way out and retreat.

"Nine wraith, did you say dear?" ask Gandalf gravely.

"Nazgul," Thranduil almost spat.

"Yes, ringwraiths. They are the nine kings and heroes Sauron ensnared with the nine rings of power meant for men as that poem says," Gandalf said.

"The three elven rings were free of Sauron's corrupting influence, were they not?" Victoria asked as nonchalantly as she could, cursing herself for not having studied the history behind the ring on her finger while back in Rivendell. She also noticed Thranduil almost bulk at the mention of the elven rings. He probably felt slighted having not received one when Galadriel and Elrond did. 'He doesn't need to know he's in the same room as two of those rings.'

"Free of his evil, yes. But the one ring would connect him to all the rings, even the three elven rings," Gandalf answered. Ideas of breaking that connect spring to Victoria's mind, but that was a matter for another time. "And the enemy now seeks control of the mountain. Not just for the treasure within, but for where it lies, its strategic position. The mountain is the gateway to reclaiming the lands of Angmar in the North. If that fell kingdom should rise again, Rivendell, Lorien, the Shire, even Gondor itself will fall."

Victoria looked to Thranduil, gauging his reaction. He seemed conflicted for a moment before stating, "Your words do not dissuade me from my goal. I will have what is rightful mine in the mountain!"

"You mean this?" asked a familiar voice from the entrance of the tent. How Bilbo managed to slip past the guards sparked her curiosity for a second as she stared at her small friend.

"Bilbo Baggins!" Gandalf exclaimed as the hobbit walked to stand in front of the sole table in the tent.

"I came to give you this, with the good will of Thorin Oakenshield," Bilbo said, looking at the Elven King and pulling a white gem necklace from the satchel he carried and satting in on the table for all to see.

"The White Gems of Lasgalen," Thranduil said almost reverently, looking down. He slowly reach a hand forward and slipped a singer finger along the gems in the necklace.

"I told you, Thorin means to keep his word. Now will you fight with us, or will you let us stand alone?" Victoria asked Thranduil.

"You would have me risk my people for thirteen dwarves and a handful of men?" was his reply.

"No, I would have you risk them for the sake of every living thing that still breathes free."

* * *

After thirty more minutes of bickering and grave threats of the future offered by both wizards, Thranduil finally committed his army, five thousand strong, to defending the mountain.

Victoria had voiced her idea of moving the non-combatants into Erebor, and when Gandalf supported the idea, Bard acquiesced. She currently found herself moving around Dale, healing the injured, conjuring stretchers and blankets for the ill, and preparing everyone for the evening stroll to the mountain. Many of the sick were suffering from the effects of hypothermia. Not that these people had ever heard of it. But their was nothing she could do but warm them up and hope their body could survive. Victoria had learned that six people had died from being in the cold water while she was talking with the other about strategy.

She felt guilty after the hours she spent at work with nothing left to take her mind off those six people. She should have started making rounds to help the sick before. But getting the elven army on her side and planning for the battle would save more the six lives, she hoped.

Victoria made her way back to a tent "graciously" set up for her by King Thranduil. She would sleep in Dale tonight and march out with the elven army tomorrow, taking up a position in front of Erebor.

But for now, she felt exhausted, not magically, but mentally. Sleep found her easy as visions of an auburn haired elf flickered through her head.

* * *

Tauriel stood talking with Legolas over the orcs from Gundabad before the Gates of Erebor when an elvish rider leading another horse along with him approached them calling out, "My Lord Legolas!"

Bringing the horses to a stop, he continued, _"I bring word from you Father. You are to return to him immediately._"

Legolas nodded, starting toward the riderless mount. "Are you coming as well, Tauriel?"

"_My Lord, Tauriel is banished._"

"_Banished?_" Legolas questioned, with a scowl on his face.

Tauriel's heart sank in her chest. She expected something like this, but for it to actually happen still saddened her greatly. She fully intended to travel with her Black Wizard though never being able to visit her birthplace seemed unthinkable. 'Did I just think of Victoria as my Wizard?'

"You may tell my father if there is no place forTauriel, there is no place for me," Legolas replied.

"Legolas," Tauriel said, taking a few steps toward her friend. "It is your King's command."

"_He is my King, but he does not command my loyalties. You are my dearest friend. I would not leave you to fight alone."_

As Legolas moved to walk away, Tauriel noted a shade behind his eyes. "What troubles you, my friend?

Legolas locked his gaze with hers for a moment before looking off toward the ruins of Dale.

" A darkness fell over me in Gundabad," Legolas said sadly. "Try as I might, I can not rid myself of thimelancholy. In another age, our people waged war on those lands." Here he turn to meet her eyes. "My mother died there. My father does not speak of it. There is no grave. No memory. Nothing."

They are both silent for many long minutes. One thinking of the past, while one thought of the future with her Wizard.

* * *

A/N So I was 3600 words into this chapter when my power supply on my computer decided to exploded. I was planning a long chapter, perhaps 10k words, to get through the the Battle of the Five Armies. But since it's taking longer than expected to fix my comp I decided to post what I have plus that last little section with Tauriel and Legolas to make it a more natural break, hopefully. I typed the last bit out on my chrome app on my phone. It was only like hundred words but it was very tedious typing it out, so don't expect more updates until I fix my pc. Sorry to all that are following this story. Hopefully it won't take to long.


End file.
